To Be Is To Do
by CallenAmakuni
Summary: (Endgame Spoilers).Takes Place after endings C&E of Automata. They were built to bring back humanity on Earth, they were programmed with the sole motive of protecting their heritage; now joined by a relic from A2's past she thought she left behind, the newly revived androids will have to carve their path through doubt, conflict and newfound emotions to ensure the mission's success.
1. Welcome Back

**Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my very first fanfic! I liked NieR: Automata, like, a lot. And while I believe the ending to be adequate and satisfying, I found myself wondering why we weren't given the whole story, with the androids trying to actually put back humans on Earth. And while the characters' treatment is cool ingame, I was left craving for more, because there is so much to do with such a thrilling context. 2B and 9S of course, but especially A2 are amazing characters in their own rights, and I would love to explore their personalities a little more. I'm also introducing an OC in here because I think he would be of great help in order to bring out all the aspects of what I want to do.**

 **There will** **be another note at the end to expand on some details, so be sure to read it for some precisions, but for now, please enjoy this first chapter!**

* * *

Two words : Dark and cold. The perfect image one would conceive when trying to explain death. Emptiness, void and absence of consciousness would come close to those, maybe even a light at the end of a tunnel or the sensation of flying.

Considering these aspects, a pure white dove would seem pretty far-fetched, out of context and completely unrelated. Still, it was at the sight of one that A2 suddenly woke up.

"Huh...? "

Her head snapped back rapidly, hitting the wall behind her and causing the bird to fly off in fear. Wincing, she took a look at her surroundings. She was sitting on the edge of what used to be a window in a ruined building, overlooking the roof of a smaller construction where two black silhouettes were lying. She instantly recognized 2B and 9S, though they seemed to be unconscious.

"What the hell am I doing here? "

She was sure she was dead. She remembered giving 9S's body to that stupid Pod. She remembered seeing the Tower collapse while she was inside, after she deactivated it. She remembered feeling her metallic skeleton shatter under its rubbles. Her last words even echoed in her mind. And so, if she remembered all that, shouldn't she be dead? She MUST be dead.

A frightening thought occurred to her. She quickly turned her gaze to the sky, looking for any sign of the gigantic cannon, but her eyes only met its usual light blue color, with no apparent trace of the building she sacrificed herself to annihilate. However, she found some odd looking rocks on the ground. Their pure white was easy to spot among the green grass and brown ruins.

"The Tower… It's destroyed… I destroyed it … "

Then why was she alive? Why wasn't she with everyone?

She was startled by a sound she was usually accustomed to; two Pods were coming in her direction. She did not recognize the first one, but identified the second as Pod 042, the one that had helped her after she… after she killed…

 _Well, you have a lot to explain buddy,_ she thought.

"Good Morning, A2. I am Pod 153. I was assigned to YoRHa Unit 9S before the project's end. A pleasure to properly meet you," the unknown bot said.

"Hello, A2. Do you remember me? If not, I am Pod 042 …"

"I already know who you are."

"Good. Unnecessary presentation avoided. I suspect you have questions about this whole ordeal?"

"Oh I don't know… I wake up here after very clearly, and distinctly, DYING, despite the fact that, if I recall correctly, the Bunker is no more, and I see there 9S with his arm and a living 2B. Why on earth would I have questions?" A2 spat with exasperation.

The two pods didn't budge for a few moments, before 042 turned to 153 and said:

"I have identified A2's answer as being sarcasm. Proposal: explain the situation despite the non-encouraging response."

"Agreed."

"And you better hurry up," A2 growled.

"Proposal: listen to our tale until the end without interruption."

"Just tell me already!" A2 nearly shouted.

"153 here and myself rebuilt you, 2B and 9S after we found your bodies. We had backup saves for all of you and decided the best course of action was not the deletion of all YoRHa data but the reconstruction of the androids that ended the threat that menaced the human lunar server. It was our first decision as independent entities after you theoretically achieved your goal," the male-voiced bot explained.

"The idea was actually 042's. I was not convinced at first and even considered conflict, but after careful thought, I concluded that your 'resurrection' was the only choice we had to complete the initial mission."

"What are you talking about?"

"The initial objective of the project has yet to be achieved."

"The initial …." A2 looked perplex for a second and was about to go on another rant, but she suddenly felt a little weak as the commander's words from her first and only briefing rushed back to her.

 _YoRHa's mission is to win back Earth for Mankind. At all costs._

"A2? Are you feeling well?"

"I'm just… just a little… well… Let's just say I'm feeling a little stupid right now…"

"Machines are still roaming the planet and humanity is still extinct. We decided that you three androids were the best suited candidates to gather the crucial genetic intel on the Moon and wipe out the remaining mechanical presence on Earth. With Adam, Eve and the Tower destroyed, we just have to dispatch isolated and unorganized cells."

A2 dozed off before shaking her head, and turning back to the two robots, anger clear in her features.

"Yeah, well I hardly see how that is MY problem… I've not followed YoRHa orders for a long time, I don't see why I should now… "

"But your dedication to destroying machines and the Tower shows…"

"I didn't and still don't care about what the commander barked… We were nothing but cannon fodder to her! I killed those damned things because they murdered my friends!"

"042 and I are aware of the first strike team's failure and demise. We are sorry for your loss… but…"

"But what?!"

A2 sat there looking furiously at the now mute bots. She tried to get out of the window she was stationed on, but quickly realized her limbs had not fully entered operational state: their coolant had still to smoothly run through their circuits. She immediately sat back and noticed white strands protruding from under her thighs. Her eyes followed their course until she understood she had been rebuilt with her hair at its original length.

"Tell us, A2. Do you think we made the wrong choice?"

"Hell yeah you have! I was about to finally be free of all this crap, finally be able to join 4, 8, 16, 21, Rose… Everyone! And you brought me back to this shit! You brought me back to this hell!" she screamed.

Her outburst came as a surprise, even to herself, and caused her to pant.

"We are deeply sorry then. Do you wish we undo our wrong?"

That caught her off guard. They were actually asking to kill her?

"What do you mean?"

"We are suggesting to permanently deactivate you and delete all data related to YoRHa Unit Type A Number 2. We must however warn you: this action will be irreversible."

"I… I don't…"

She pondered the idea for a few seconds. Was it really what she wanted?

"Your former behavior strongly suggested your immediate approval."

"I know! It's just that…"

The more she thought about it, the more she saw how much of a waste that would be. She didn't like the time she spent hunting for machines. She didn't like the three years she spent alone, braving blizzards and heat waves, doubting herself every day, fighting her way anywhere she went. But she got things done. She destroyed her fair share of machines. She destroyed the Tower. Every other YoRHa unit had been completely corrupted and the Bunker was orbiting the moon in pieces. She was the last remnant of the androids.

She sighed heavily. She had been called a hothead in her division -8 and 21 even had nicknamed her Spitfire because of that- but she knew her duty was her absolute priority. She knew she wouldn't even exist without the humans. She hated it, but the bots were right. She still had work to do.

"I… Let's leave that aside for the moment… I'm sorry about the whole shouting thing… I just have to come to terms with the fact that I'm still alive."

"No offense taken, A2" both pods said.

"Proposal: accompany us for 2B and 9S's activation." continued 042.

A2 slowly went back up on her feet –they finally seemed to reliably support her weight- and nodded towards the pods.

"Your limbs must still be sore. Proposal: avoid jumping. Access to the other roof with the Pod's aerial carrying abilities recommended."

A2 took 042's little hands, and he lifted her as he used to do whenever she asked.

"Lead the way."

* * *

 _Two months before._

 _Activation sequence complete._

A white blast and fist suddenly erupted from under a few rubbles, the noise the commotion created causing some birds to fly off in the distance.

"…IGHT TILL I'M DEAD!"

A young looking man soon followed his arm out of the ruins. He took in his surroundings, covering his head and slowly getting used to the dim moonlight.

"Huh?"

He blinked rapidly then checked his hand, closing and opening his fist a few times, and noticed that his skin was torn here and there. He also massaged his pauldron, seeing that the engraving was missing a few letters.

He tried to examine more closely what was nearby: mostly destroyed ruins and mechanical remains. But one particular object grabbed his attention.

"That's…"

Some black strings were scattered across the field, and he even recognized a wing.

"…a flight unit. My flight unit."

The man carefully got up on his feet, dragging them out of from under the rocks, and headed to what most likely was his own crash site. He painfully walked to the crushed machine, and put an arm on its destroyed frame.

"I was out for most of the fight then."

He slowly sat down, closing his eyes and feeling the wind blow through his silvery white hair. He sighed heavily.

"I'd better go back quickly and help."

He lightly tapped on his arm, causing a little screen to appear, displaying a mini map. The young man scratched his nose while studying the region.

"Display all allied black box signals," he ordered.

'NO SIGNAL'

The man felt his blood leave his face.

"What the… Display all nearby ally black box locations," he repeated a little more loudly.

'NO SIGNAL'

This time, he even let his arm sink to his side.

"Display all signals, Max Range!" he shouted, standing up.

'NO SIGNAL'

No one. There was no one left. They were all…

Wait.

"Display time and location!"

'28° 48' N 40° 32' E, 12th of June, 11 945.'

The other arm followed its counterpart. Three years. He was three years late. Running his hand through his hair, he released the breath he was holding.

"Contact the Bunker. Direct connection to the commander required," he asked, lifting the screen back up.

'NO SIGNAL'

"I'm getting tired of your shit here. Do what I tell you to do, damn it!"

The young man still received no response.

"Go to hell, then." he angrily spat while violently closing the panel. He felt like an idiot for screaming at a screen, but it was the least of his issues back then. He sat back, sighing again, and lowered his gaze. He ran his hands over his head.

"Pfffffft. What now?" He let his hands fall to his knees and turned to face his flight unit. _This is beyond reparation, especially after three years_ , he thought while examining some wires and noticing the rust that covered every metallic joint, plaguing the complete structure with its corrosive bite. He let the wires go and stood up. Slowly stretching his limbs and putting his hands on his hips, he looked to the sky, concentrating on a few funny clouds.

"Well, no use sticking around here forever."

He quickly examined his own body, searching for any sign of heavy injuries.

"Engage in control surfaces testing." The numerous panels covering his body deployed and got back into place, with the exception of the left shoulder pad.

"Hmm, a little less firepower. Guess it could be worse."

He then swiftly jumped into the distance.

* * *

"And this is the whole story."

"So... you managed to destroy that Tower thing…"

2B and 9S had been activated a few minutes prior. Despite the initial shock, 2B was quickly able to compose herself. 9S, on the other side, had been more reluctant to accept the situation, and was sitting with his legs crossed, eyeing the long-haired android with a dangerous glare. Both had removed their headbands pretty soon after their awakening.

"Yes, I did…" A2 said from the corner she was settled in.

"… "

9S seemed to be clearly upset just from the fact that he wasn't able to attack her on sight.

"However, the moon server is still… well… on the moon… So, those two brought us back to finish the job," she continued, pointing to the pods, unfazed by the boy's attitude towards her.

2B got up with difficulty, dusted her skirt when she finally felt she found her balance, and walked towards A2, sticking up her hand. The latter eyed it with suspicion.

"Come on, I just wish to thank you," 2B said while rolling her eyes.

"For what?"

"For what you did. I asked you to take care of 9S, and you managed to get him out mostly intact. And of course, for everything else, including destroying the Tower."

"I…"

A2 found nothing to say. People didn't usually thank her; they either ignored or fought her. But recently she had seen a lot of grateful faces with Pascal, or even the Resistance. She thus grabbed the hand that was in front of her, and lightly shook it. 2B flashed a genuine smile, a sight even A2 could say was something to behold. She found herself unconsciously smiling back.

"9S…". The short-haired android turned to her male companion. His glare quickly transformed into a pout as he frowned even more and turned his head to the side.

"Please, you know now that she did the right thing. I literally asked her to spare me from complete contamination. I don't see how holding a grudge against her will help our cause."

"It is actually counter-productive. Proposal: make peace and work together," 153 reasoned.

"I don't like her," 9S finally said.

"And you're being childish. Come on, 9S, I know you're better than that," 2B added.

"Listen, kid…" A2 began walking towards him, but winced as he got up in outrage.

"YOU CALL ME KID ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

"Calm down, 9S," 2B said in a smooth but commanding tone. She then turned back to A2. "Please avoid calling him that or anything related."

A2 raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Okay."

"Look," she continued. "We're all here to do what we were built to do. I will never pretend to be a model of perfection, but I did what I could. If it isn't enough for you, let's just say that I don't give a crap. But don't let that divert you from your mission. Get yourself together and let's do this," she said while raising her hand.

"I have to agree with her. Please 9S… We don't need this now."

9S stayed motionless for a moment. "I don't like you."

"I think we got that."

The small android turned around and quickly shook A2's hand. He then immediately let go and sat down. A2 sighed and looked at 2B.

"I'll let you two talk a little bit. It seems you have a lot of catching up to do," she said.

"We do. See you later."

The two women nodded to each other and A2 jumped off the roof.

* * *

"Nothing here either…"

The young man had inspected an extended perimeter with no results over the course of the last two months. He had just finished crossing a large field when he sat down in exhaustion. While resting, he opened his arm's panel, only to be greeted by the 'NO SIGNAL' message again.

"What would I do without this stupid thing, huh ?"

He let himself fall on his back, looking at the sky. His two bangs obstructed half of his vision field, so he exhaled to free his line of sight.

"Might as well sleep a little bit."

He had already begun dozing off when he heard a sound he wished he had encountered later -or even never encountered if he had something to say about it. He swiftly got back on his feet, seeing that he was surrounded by half a dozen flying machines.

"Damn." he cursed, activating his combat modules.

"Well, let's dance…" The machines began firing their odd looking orbs, which he avoided by running to the side. They were easy to see coming and quite slow, but their number could quickly become overwhelming. He deployed the cannon embedded in his right shoulder for distant support while he tried to get close.

"All right, come here to daddy," he said while one of the machines began spinning around to try to get to him. He immediately opened the blasters under his right hand, creating a small sword surrounding his arm. He then jumped to the left and aimed for the two glowing red dots that stood out from the metallic whirlwind. The explosion blinded him for a moment.

Before he landed, he grabbed one of the bladed side modules and threw it towards another enemy, instantly destroying it.

 _Charge complete._

He aligned himself with two of the machines while his shoulder shook with the concentrated blast. He jumped and shouted:

"RELEASE !"

The column of light engulfed the two targets, disintegrating them on the spot.

He touched the ground as the two remaining machines started shaking dangerously. His eyes widened when they both transformed, exposing a red-glowing barrel each.

 _That doesn't look good._

As soon as the words were thought, the two fired gigantic lasers. The man ducked down, closely avoiding the first, but putting himself in the other one's trajectory. He only had one solution left in such a small amount of time.

He raised his left arm, and opened all the panels simultaneously to create a makeshift shield. The young man still felt the wind get knocked out of him, and flew a few meters back. He had to thrust his feet through the ground to decelerate. As soon as he stopped, he fell on his knees, panting. His left eye had been hit by a shard from his own left arm, the modules of which had become unusable.

"Right… Totally needed that …"

He painfully got back on his feet.

 _Charge complete._

"Okay, let's finish this." The young man brutally accelerated, instantly propelling himself over one of the fighter machines. "RELEASE !"

The blast destroyed the furthest, sending rusted pieces all over the field, and the man brought back his right arm over the last one's head, swiftly ending its existence. The following explosion sent him back to the ground violently, raising a big cloud of dust.

"Oow…" He stayed on his back, massaging the left side of his head.

"First fight's results? Lost an eye and rendered an arm useless. Good T8, good. That's what you get when you sleep for three years and cannot use both your cannons at the same time. Great."

He put his hand's back over his forehead and blacked out soon after.

* * *

A2 was standing against the root of a gigantic tree with her eyes closed while she waited for 2B and 9S to finish talking. She opened them when she heard one of the pods approaching.

"What is it again?" she asked.

"I wished to inform you that 153 and myself detected an unusual signal, a few kilometers away from here."

"And ?"

"It seems it is a YoRHa type black box that engaged in combat."

"Another contaminated unit? What would it fight?"

"No. The contaminated black boxes are now identified as enemy signals."

"What do you mean?"

"This black box is still safe. It appears, from 153 and my self's analyses, that this unit is most likely a remnant of the first strike team that engaged Earth from the Bunker."

"Are you saying … ?!"

No, it couldn't be.

"Yes. It is highly possible that this unit was a part of your former division."

* * *

 **And here we are! First, thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you have something to say, I would love constructive criticizing! English is unfortunately not my first language, but I hope to improve thanks to you!**

 **With that said, I would like to give you some details. First, the OC. I was inspired by the events narrated in the YoRHa stage play (a play performed in Japan -that I did not watch, as I'm not Japanese- that explains how A2's division, the infamous "first strike team", was defeated and she was left alone). I'm adding T8 as a character from that play.**

 **And, yes, if you noticed, his name comes from the cytotoxic or killer T cells, codename T8, that destroy the pathology-inducing cells in our bodies. He's around 175 cm (or 5,7 feet) and 170 kg.**

 **Just to be clear, he DOESN'T** **exist in the play. But I'm acting as if he did.**

 **And of course , it is absolutely not necessary to know of the play's events to understand this story.**

 **If you prefer to have a precise idea of what he would look like, I've tried to draw how I imagined him. The link is directly on my profile page, so ju** **st copy and past it in your navigator.**

 **Now, about the title: it is a quote from Immanuel Kant, and while the pun was indeed intended, I promise it will make sense within the story (You can probably see why even in this chapter). Concerning length, I honestly don't know how long it will be. I'll decide as I progress, depending on the general response, but I sincerely intend to see this through till the end.**

 **With that, see you next time, and thanks again!**


	2. You Only Have Problems When You Sleep

**Author's Note: Hello again everyone!**

 **Here I am for the second chapter. I got this one ready pretty fast, but I wouldn't expect myself to keep up such a release schedule, with college and all the likes…**

 **Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

" _Brace yourselves for atmospheric penetration! Activate subsonic mode!"_

 _Six flight units soared through the skies, whirling and leaving behind a furrow of bright light. They were assuming a V formation in order to optimize their flanks' protection and avoid surprise attacks, with each one transporting a YoRHa android. The fleet's commander was taking the far front spot._

" _Target location visualized, captain!" the latter heard over the comm._

" _Understood. Operator, demand authorization to land," she asked._

" _This is Operator 2O. Authorization granted."_

" _Prepare for descent!"_

 _The squad touched the ground at the same time, arranging the units as a circle in the middle of an abandoned city, and exited their respective aircrafts to regroup hastily. They were all wearing black fitting combat suits together with goggled helmets. It was impossible to make out differences, except for the one that was obviously modeled after a male and another with a much larger build._

" _All right. Listen everyone…" a female android began. "We're going to attack a network relay on the harbor, not far from here. Expect heavy resistance. The assault will be risky, but unlocking such a strategic point will allow us to travel to isolated locations a lot more safely. We got here because it is the fastest route from the Bunker, we'll continue from now on using the mobile mode of the units. A lot of things can go wrong down there, so stay close to the team and in formation. The worst you could do is separate from the squad. Am I being clear?"_

 _The five remaining androids nodded in agreement._

" _Good. 8, 4, you're immediately at my sides," the captain said while lightly tapping both their heads. "2, 21 and 16, you're just behind," she continued, pointing alternatively between the three before she gestured to her back with her thumb. "We're scouting ahead and you're covering our backs. Get ready, we depart in two minutes," she finished. While the captain checked on some matters with her operator, 8 approached 2 with his helmet off as she was tending to her light sword._

" _How are you feeling?" he asked._

" _Quite fine. Why do you ask?" she answered, her voice muffled by her own headgear._

" _Just trying to fill up the gap these two minutes created in my life."_

" _Oh, how ominous…" she responded, rolling her eyes. He grinned at first, but quickly took a more somber tone._

" _So, this is for real huh…"_

 _She stopped inspecting her weapon, and turned to look at him. She then directed her gaze to her flight unit and spoke:_

" _Yeah… We were built for this; we were trained for this… Now it's time for us to show these machines what we can do."_

" _I wish I had your confidence… I cannot help but feel…Umm… How shall I put it?"_

" _Anxious?"_

" _Uneasy. Yes, that's it. Uneasy."_

" _Come on… Shouldn't you be the big tough one here?" she teased, smiling under her helmet and getting up._

" _Yeah, make fun of the poor guy who needs comforting. Great mentality."_

 _She lightly punched his shoulder._

" _You know I'm just messing with you. Don't worry, we're in this together, and we're going through this together. You've got us all to support you as much as we got you to support us."_

 _8 visibly relaxed. He smiled and released a sigh._

" _I knew you could be sweet, but this goes well beyond expectations…" he said while playing with his helmet and looking up at her from the corner of his eyes -even though she couldn't see it due to his headband._

 _She punched him again on the same spot, only a lot harder this time._

" _I hate you."_

" _There you are!" he laughed._

 _He was suddenly tackled from behind; a taller android had put her elbow on his shoulder and leaned against it._

" _Stop being so annoying towards Spitfire, 8... She's actually pretty nice to you. I would have kicked your ass off to the ground for something like that… 'goes well beyond expectations', pfft…" she turned her hands in the air, mimicking a fool. "That's not something to say to a lady. Besides, we all know I'm the tough one around here."_

" _Can't argue with that, 21. I've always said your balls are bigger than mine."_

" _And I still don't understand that joke of yours. What is it, some cultural thing?"_

" _Nevermind." 8 answered, flashing a playful smile._

" _I hate you," 21 said as she slammed her hand into his back._

" _Oooh… we both know you all can't get enough of me."_

 _21 smiled before scratching his hair with her fist and answering:_

" _That I will never be able to explain."_

" _Neither will I," continued 2._

" _LET'S GO !" they heard the captain shout._

 _8 sighed heavily and put on his mask._

" _Well then. Good luck," he said while heading towards his flight unit._

" _You too…" 2 whispered. "Dork…" she added with a grin._

* * *

"Nines?"

2B had precociously approached the android boy. She thought her using his nickname would prompt some kind of reaction, but he stayed still.

"Nines, are you okay?"

He shifted quickly, facing her. His eyes were watering, but he kept his brows furrowed.

"How can you ask me that?"

2B was slightly taken aback.

"What do you… "

"I watched you die! I saw that freak kill you and it almost destroyed me! How can you just come back and ask me if I'm okay?"

"I…"

"And just when were you going to tell me you were built to kill me over and over again?!"

A painful silence lingered on for a while. 2B sat down.

"So you knew…"

"Of course I knew! I suspected something was off with you from the start, so I made some research. And you heard her. The first thing that long-haired nuisance ever tells me is that '2E' has been designed to kill me as soon as I got too curious!"

2B lowered her head at that. She stayed mute for a moment.

"I didn't want to do that…" she whispered.

"But you still did. That's what matters."

"I hated every second of it!" she suddenly shouted, keeping her head down.

"I surely suffered every second of it!" he shot back.

"I had no choice!"

"Of course you had!"

"They told me it was for the good of mankind!"

"YOUR HUMANS ARE GONE!" he yelled, pointing to the ground.

He stood at that last phrase, getting her to perk up.

"They're gone and they're never coming back," he said slowly.

She kept her gaze locked on his eyes for some time.

"I… I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't talk."

"Nines, listen, I'm sorry. You cannot imagine how …"

"It's simple enough, really. I was a tool to you, as you were to the commander. We were all some wooden pieces that got thrown in a burning brazier as soon as we became useless."

"THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE WANTED ME TO BE! A DOLL!" He gripped his head and bent down. "I WILL NOT BE A PAWN ANYMORE!"

2B steeled herself. She got on her feet and took one step towards him.

"Nines, please…"

He leaned back, his look a mix of anger and fear.

She eventually caught up to him and carefully enveloped him in a warm embrace. She felt him tense under her touch, but soon he relaxed and even leaned into the hug. She heard a few sobs.

"I'm sorry," was all she could mutter at first. "I never fancied your eliminations. It became… painful, as more time passed with us working together, even if you didn't know. You must remember how broken I was just after the battle with Eve…"

"Yeah," he said in a small voice.

"That was because I just had to kill you… Again…" she continued. She buried her head in his shoulder. "Just promise you'll stay with me."

"I … I promise." They kept the comforting position for a few minutes, until they separated. Silence was all they could hear for a while, until 2B addressed 153.

"All right. Shall we join A2?"

"I'm afraid this will not be possible at the moment."

The two androids gave her confused looks.

"What?"

"Why?"

"She and 042 are now four kilometers away from here. We have detected an interesting signal they both went to investigate ten minutes ago."

* * *

Mech configuration activated.

 _The different flight units transformed into their humanoid form._

" _Fall in and stay grouped. We're good to go."_

 _The formation shaped up rapidly and took off. They flew for several minutes in complete silence, until it was broken by 4 through the comm._

" _Ugh, I'm not seeing anything past my arms with this mist!"_

" _You have a radar, 4…"answered 16 with a bored tone._

" _I know, but still! I like to actually …" She stopped in mid-sentence. "Wait…"_

 _Her eyes suddenly widened. "Captain ! I'm detecting an enemy fleet approaching!"_

" _How did they know we were even here?" asked 16._

" _We'll have time to think about that later. 4, number estimation?" said the captain._

" _I cannot tell."_

" _Too far?"_

" _Too many…"_

" _From which direction are they coming?"_

" _I'm afraid we're already surrounded!"_

" _Oh mighty… Okay, everyone, we're entering combat situation. Be ready. Operator, demand authorization for lethal force usage."_

" _This is Operator 2O. Authorization granted."_

 _After some anxious waiting, the enemies were soon within line of sight. 2 suppressed a gasp as she had a glimpse of the tremendous mass of machines they were about to face. She first estimated their number to be around a thousand, but soon abandoned the idea of counting as more and more of them seemed to appear._

" _All right. ENGAGE !" shouted the captain._

 _They rapidly dispersed into three groups. 2 and 21 faced a squadron of light but highly mobile cannon carriers. 21 served as a tank, her shields taking most of the damage directed to them, while 2 sliced and thrust through everything that got into her attacking range. The mech's light swords went back and forth countless times, catching several machines in their deathly trail with each swing and showering the city underneath with sparks and mechanical remains._

" _Watch out!"_

 _2 turned around swiftly, but not swiftly enough to avoid the blade that aimed for her propulsion set. She was saved by a hammer crashing heavily and with a deafening noise in her attacker's side, launching it into the distance._

" _Thanks, 21."_

" _No problem, Spitfire. Just be careful next time, okay?"_

" _Right."_

 _A little further, the captain and 8 were handling a group of heavily armored artillery fliers. The latter provided distant support with his twin cannons, while the former hit hard with her set of levitating gauntlets. She sent them to her left, shattering a machine's shield, which then instantly melted from 8's continuous blasts. He soon heard a reassuring sound._

Charge complete.

" _Captain, clear FOV!"_

 _She immediately complied and escaped by dashing up._

" _RELEASE !"_

 _Two white columns sprang up from the mech's limbs on each side, and it spun around rapidly, cutting in half every enemy on a 30 meters radius. The captain appeared back next to him._

" _Good job. That should downscale the pressure over this front."_

" _Maybe, but this is not something you can expect me to do very often."_

" _I already know that, idiot," she remarked sarcastically. "What captain would I be if I didn't? Now, we should go help th… "_

 _She never finished her sentence. She blurted out some blood, and looked down._

 _A red laser had pierced her chest, destroying her core. She gave a surprised look to 8 before her mech exploded. The young man was stunned for a moment from both the explosion and the shock, but was quick to react afterwards._

" _CAPTAAAIN !" he screamed on top of his lungs._

 _Black Box Type A Number 1: NO SIGNAL. His screen only confirmed what had just transpired._

 _The blast had come from the cannon of a massive flying flat structure that had just appeared out of the mist. The thing was surrounded by hardened steel and could partake in a size context with the Bunker and still be a serious contender. Its edges were sharp, as if designed to tear through foes just by passing near them._

" _Damn you…!" 8 growled, his eyes glowing with fury._

 _He let his rage take him on, and fired endlessly at the gigantic machine._

" _DIE YOU BASTARD!"_

 _He launched himself forward, while continuing to shoot. Engulfing the two mech's arms in his energy swords, he slashed tirelessly at the structure, constantly dodging the orbs it was releasing. He saw the steel melt with each hit; he knew he was getting closer to destroying it. He escaped a few minions that exited the structure from some rat holes and concentrated on bringing down the sky fortress. He soon enough found a 'soft' looking piece of metal._

 _He dashed back, aiming his now deployed arms and shoulder blasters at what he considered to be the enemy's weakest point._

Charge complete. Post-Combustion activated.

 _His attack was going to be powerful. Powerful enough to go through the machine like a hot knife would through butter. But such a power display would be draining. He would require a few minutes to fully recover. A few minutes he could not afford._

 _But at that moment, he couldn't care less._

" _RELEASE !"_

 _The burst caused the air to crack around it, and the mech to dangerously heat up. However, it hit its target instantly as if it was defenseless._

 _The blast had the expected effects: the Goliath soon shattered to pieces in a blinding flash, the shock wave echoing through the whole city, and 8 let his arms fall down in exhaustion._

 _He took a look at his screen. All his friends were still there. He smiled with difficulty when he noticed the metallic ocean that came for him. He probably had been flagged as a priority target._

" _Good luck, team." He said through the comm._

" _8 ? What are you talking about?" he heard 2's panicked voice ask him back._

 _She was designed as their second-in-command and was a good leader. He knew she lacked some confidence despite what she tried to show, but she was a fine unit. He was sure she would succeed._

" _8?! What's going on?_ _T8! Answer me now!"_

 _In a straining effort, he fought. He slashed and fired endlessly at the continuous stream of hostiles. He brutally turned around, facing numerous barrels, and shouted, while hitting his chest with his fist:_

" _COME AT ME, YOU PRICKS! YOU'LL HAVE TO F…"_

 _He was then drowned in a red-colored tide._

 _._

 _._

 _._

Damage suffered: Critical. Core integrity engaged. Launching auto-reparation sequence.

Estimated time: 1102 days, 6 hours and 24 minutes.

* * *

"How far is it now?" A2 shouted, trying to overcome the blowing wind's noise.

"Approximately 5 minutes, if we keep this pace."

She was running at full speed, the Pod following behind her.

"We are approaching the targeted site. Warning: several mechanical signals detected."

"Oh hell no, they won't…" the woman grunted, drawing her sword.

She jumped up a rampart and found herself overlooking a large field, with a dozen machines congregating near its center.

There, she saw him. It had been T8 all along. He seemed unconscious. He was surrounded. He needed her help.

"Hyaaah!"

The first strike, arriving from above, took an assailant by surprise and cut it in half. A2 transferred her weight on her left side, causing her body to spin and her heel to crash directly in a machine's head. She propelled herself towards the red-eyed abomination that was the closest to the fallen young man, crushing it in a single blow.

 _"Kill... Kill... Kill..."_

"Pod!" she called.

"Understood," he answered. He instantly fired his charged laser beam, destroying two foes in a row.

"Okay, two left."

 _"Fear...Fear...Escape... Escape..."_

She launched her weapon, impaling the nearest enemy. She then seemed to vanish, only to appear on the blade's hilt. She swiftly withdrew it, jumped back, and accelerated to reach the last target. A final swing took care of the remaining threat.

A2 released a breath and sheathed her sword. She quickly scanned the nearby zone for other machines.

"The area is now safe," 042 reassured her.

She nodded then ran next to her old comrade, kneeling beside him and taking off his black visor. The steady rise and fall of his chest almost made it seem like…

"He's sleeping?!"

"Negative. I'm detecting an intense electromagnetic activity centered on his left eye and arm. It appears that he is…"

"… repairing himself…" she finished in a barely audible tone.

"Affirmative. Curious… Were all YoRHa androids capable of this functionality in your division?"

"No, he was the only one. And even then, we were told it was anecdotic: he would have not been able to fix something like a failing module or a dysfunction in weaponry. I'm as lost as you are as to how he survived so long… Can you perform a complete scan?"

"Scanning in progress."

The Pod then flew all over the slumbering android's body, coming back to A2 with his report.

"The black box and its surroundings are intact. Multiple failures detected in navigation systems, weaponry, and cognitive centers, which need exterior care. None are however critical, but I would advise for a complete overhaul as soon as possible."

A2 released a heavy sigh of relief. "Good…"

"Proposal: transport him to the Resistance Camp for nursing. We should be able to find replacement pieces for him there."

She delicately put her hand on the man's right arm, and took in his features. She felt a wave of joy and nostalgia at the sight of such a familiar face. It had been too long.

"Yeah, you're probably right…"

She slowly and carefully lifted the man's body, carrying it on her back. The smallest smile crept over her lips when she felt his heartbeat against her spine. _Heh_ , _he's still very much alive._

"Let's go."

She began running, although not without considerably lowering her speed.

"A2, may I ask a question?"

"Go on."

"This unit seems to possess cannons similar to the ones us Pods are equipped with. It is a unique trait that we still have to witness on someone else. Do you have an idea as for why?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then answered.

"The others will probably wonder about the same thing, I'll explain once we're all together. For now, contact your flying girlfriend and tell her to come join us at the camp with 2B and 9S."

"Very well."

* * *

"They found it?" 9S demanded.

"Indeed. I was asked to deliver the following message: meet at the Camp as soon as possible."

"Let's get moving then," 2B stated.

When the group crossed the abandoned building that led to the minuscule village after a few hours of running, they were greeted by an overjoyed Anemone.

"My friends! What a relief to finally see you again! We were worried sick about you! Ever since that attack, we haven't got any news! Are you okay?"

2B and 9S quickly exchanged glances before speaking simultaneously:

"You could say that."

"Good! Do you need something special?"

"Actually we came here to meet a friend of ours," 2B answered. "She was supposed to arrive with a heavily inj…"

Before she could end her phrase, a loud gasp echoed through the camp. The group turned around to see A2 rapidly approaching with a silhouette on her back.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" they heard Anemone say. "A2! What happened? Who's that?"

"Wait, you know each other?"

"Can we please talk later? He needs healing!" A2 exasperatedly shot out.

"Right, bring him here!" the leader ordered, pointing to the medical tent.

A2 slowly put him on a bed while two androids approached after being called by Anemone.

"They're our new medics," the latter clarified. "Ever since we found Devola and Popola's bodies, we're relying on them for medical support. Don't worry, they're as qualified as their predecessors."

A2 and 9S both winced at the mention of the pink-haired twins. Knowing about their story did not make it easier to hear of their deaths.

"Please leave it to us right now."

"Right." A2 stepped back from the stretcher.

Soon, a small crowd gathered around the place, with everyone trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious stranger.

The YoRHa group came together near the armory, deciding to take some distance with the hubbub.

"So… Are you going to tell us who that is?" Even when mad at her, 9S's curiosity was taking the better of him.

A2 sighed and sat down, folding her hands.

"His name is T8. He is… was a member of my divison. We were both in the first YoRHa squadron."

"The first YoRHa squadron? The one that was sent to Pearl Harbor and got decimated?"

9S looked horrified.

"Yes, that same team. He was the second one to fall after our captain, and I believed him gone for the past three years."

"He seems alive enough for me..." 2B perplexedely said.

"I said 'believed' you daft tit. I only discovered a couple of hours ago that he was not actually dead."

A2 pinched her nose bridge and lifted her head. She had a lot to take in in a single day.

"A2, now that 'we're all together', is answering my previous question a possibility?" she heard that stupid Pod say.

"Oh yeah, about that. As you probably already know 9S, my division was exclusively composed of prototypes. We were sent to test the androids' performance in real combat... In other words, we were not meant to come back. Myself and the captain apparently were the earlier versions of 2B, 4 was the previous 9S…"

"And T8?" 2B asked.

"He seemingly did not result in the creation of an android type."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, seeing how they can fire from far away, create energy weapons, and repair androids… It looks pretty clear to me that T8 was the concept of what would later become the Pods."

* * *

 **Aaaaand Clap! Thanks again for reading. Don't forget to review, it's always appreciated!**

 **I'm examining the idea of sketching the most notable parts of this story. Tell me what you think about it: would you rather imagine everything or have a physical support to rely on?**

 **Now about Gargoyle's review (You are not a member, I couldn't answer through PM):**

 **First, thanks for taking the time! I'm glad you appreciated the story!**

 **Second, unfortunately (or fortunately?), the very last shot in the game shows A2 with her long hair on a window next to a dove. That's actually my starting point (and let's face it, she's a lot hotter with long hair!).**

 **Third, the moon server only contains genetic data concerning Replicants, the "bodies" of humans. The server did not fail, he was sent on the moon after the humans understood Project Gestalt would fail. YoRHa never tried to revive humans, no one actually did. They had first to free the planet from the aliens and the machines, which they never managed to achieve.**

 **Finally, I have not revealed more than what is stated in the play's synopsis, and most of these aspects are mentioned in the game itself. I'm sorry if I spoiled anything to you though.**

 **With that, see you all next time!**


	3. An Aimless Life Is Certainly A Sin

**Author's Note: I know I said I wouldn't keep such a schedule, but hey! College decided to close off for a day. So… third chapter here!**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

" _RELEASE !"_

 _The Bunker's evaluation chamber shook with violent explosions._

" _Okay, we're going to stop here."_

 _The commander was witnessing the very first battery of tests for the newcomer with a group of scientists. She turned away from the now saluting unit to face the latters, addressing the lead researcher._

" _Interesting… You say he has an implanted reparation kit?"_

" _He does, Madam. But a performing kit would impinge heavily on his offensive abilities. He is already largely weaker than the other units in close combat, and we didn't want to sacrifice his cannons and Post-Combustion modules. He should however be able to sustain himself and his comrades quite efficiently as long as the damage stays minimal."_

" _Minimal? What's minimal to you?"_

" _Every damage that would endanger the metallic structure of his frame is considered to not be minimal."_

 _The commander rolled her eyes._

" _You're basically telling me it is useless if he suffers more than a scratch."_

" _Not useless, just not efficient. Due to the fact that a very small part of his power circuit aliments the kit when it is active, the reparation time grows exponentially with the gravity of the injuries. If our simulations are correct, any broken plate would require months to fix, a few years for a failing cannon."_

" _Yes, useless then… Why wasn't the kit put on an android that wouldn't need as much power for combat?"_

 _The scientist lowered her head._

" _It was the best we could do, Ma'am. He is the most power-efficient unit at the moment. Converting the energy into blasts avoids the power losses close combat units must endure when transforming it into the torque necessary to move their limbs at high speeds. For them, the kit is effectively useless."_

 _The commander put a finger on her chin. The young man was still saluting with his hand over his chest. That prototype was as promising as his fellow androids. He could provide distant counters, fix any non-critical injury in a few minutes, and he could deploy a quite impressive firepower when at his maximum potential. Studying his performance could bring in crucial data._

" _All right, he's going with the others."_

" _As you command, Madam."_

" _Designation?"_

" _T8, Madam. He is the only Type T android we have at the moment."_

" _Good. I would like to have a little talk with him. You may leave for now."_

" _Understood."_

 _The scientists silently exited the room. The commander slowly approached the still unmoving android._

" _You have been assigned to our first mission on Earth," she stated with a neutral tone._

" _Thank you for letting me fight for the cause! I promise I won't let you down!" he loudly said._

 _The commander flashed a sad smile._

" _You can be proud of yourself. I'm tasked with delivering the Council's most hearty congratulations."_

" _Yes, Ma'am! Thank you, Ma'am!"_

" _You can relax, T8…"_

" _But, Ma'am…"_

" _No need to be so formal, I don't usually bite. Now, follow me, I wish to introduce you to the rest of the team."_

" _O…Okay…" T8 awkwardly answered. He then walked out beside her._

 _He always had been told to watch himself around the commander, and upon seeing her, he understood why everyone considered her to be intimidating. She had an unsettling aura of nobility around her, a feeling that whatever she did was going to be of utmost importance. She was even made taller than most androids, on par with himself, towering over the entirety of the infantry. But despite the serious look she wore, he had the feeling she cared about them, that she genuinely wanted them to be successful. In the few seconds he interacted with her, he already felt like he had been her disciple for years._

 _They reached the elevator that led to the hangar._

"… _ling about all of this?" He was startled by her voice. She seemed to look at him expectantly, and he hadn't heard her question._

" _Umm… I… We…"_

Good, 8… less than five minutes in and you're already making a fool of yourself. _She lightly chuckled._

" _I would strongly advise against being this lightheaded during missions if you don't want to hit a wall as soon as you land."_

 _T8 scratched the back of his head, visibly embarrassed. She continued, smiling:_

" _I asked how you were feeling about all of this."_

" _Hum… Well, I… It is an honor to fight for the humans. I will do anything I can to win back their homeland. I was built for this, and you can be sure I will fulfill my duty with dedication."_

" _That I am sure of. But what do you think you can accomplish?"_

" _That's a difficult question actually… I honestly don't know… But as long as I'm not dead, I guess I can be useful…"_

" _Hmm… I see."_

 _The lift then decelerated, the doors opening over the hangar's corridor._

" _Here they are."_

 _T8 saw five androids aligned near the second gateway, standing still, their hands folded behind their backs. They all saluted at the sight of the commander._

" _Relax, soldiers. This is T8, the last member of your team. He will be your backline supporter. I'll let him explain to you what he can do later. For now, just know that you'll be leaving in six months. Use the time left to get to know each other, eventually do some training."_

" _Yes, Madam! Glory to mankind!" They all saluted again._

 _The commander nodded then headed back to the elevator, that same sad smile still present on her face._

* * *

"So, this unit is equipped with the premise of what constitutes us now?" 153 asked.

"It seems very likely that it is the case," 042 said. "When examining the body scan with this new insight, I am able to notice a few similarly constructed circuits, especially around the shoulders and the neck."

"It's not surprising… His cannons are in his shoulders and the reparation kit is in his nape," A2 explained. "You can probably do the same for 2B and me… They had to test out the modules and all that before definitely implementing them after all. I suppose they couldn't avoid sending us to our deaths…"

"I'm sorry, A2…" she heard 2B say.

"Yeah…"

She then noticed that 9S was looking at her with a very conflicted look. "What?"

"Pearl Harbor…"

"What of it?"

9S bit his lip. It was not going to be easy to say. "I… I just… It's…"

"He's waking up!" they all heard the medics shout.

A2 immediately got up, completely dismissing 9S. The boy sighed and followed 2B, who had started running shortly after her long-haired lookalike.

They crossed the tent, taking a path Anemone carved through the crowd, and arrived near the stretcher. The medics were tending to a T8 who was seemingly already up and struggling to get on his right elbow.

"8!"

Hearing that voice got him to suddenly freeze. He slowly lifted his head, and his gaze met a familiar set of relieved eyes.

"2…"

"Hello there…"

"What… What happened? Why are you this… Is everyone…" He seemed to slightly panick, his white irises expanding.

"Not now," A2 said, putting a hand on his emaciated shoulder. She turned around to look at 2B, and both androids exchanged knowing glances.

"We should leave them alone for a while."

"But, we still have to …" one of the medical units began to protest.

"Can it wait?" Anemone asked.

"Umm… Well… I guess so…"

"Then, please let it wait." The two medics reluctantly nodded and exited the tent.

2B had never dared to imagine seeing a grateful expression on A2's slim face, but considering the day's events, it was far from being the most staggering experience she had. She and Anemone stayed until they made sure nobody was around.

"Just call us when you're done, A2." She nodded and both women moved away.

Sun rays were pouring through the ripped fabric of the makeshift roof, highlighting the rust stitching T8's joints and reverberating in his white hair. The young man had calmed down a little bit, but worry and anticipation of what A2 was going to say were plastered all across his face.

"We… have a lot to talk about…" She took a nearby stool and sat at his right.

For the first time in her life, the slender android was nervous and couldn't stop twiddling her thumbs. But then again, she was sitting near a shadow of her past, someone whose demise loomed over her for years, keeping her up at night. Someone who, alongside her other comrades, she blamed herself for not being able to save.

She wanted to tell him. She would have to tell him. Lying was not an option, but it didn't make speaking about what happened easier.

.

.

.

"You're the only one that pulled through, right?"

She perked up suddenly, eyes wide, her hair waving with the brutal movement. T8's brows were now furrowed, but his eyes held the very distinguishable tint of realization. She didn't budge nor spoke, but both her uncomfortable silence and sad expression gave it away immediately. T8 dropped his gaze and sighed heavily, covering his head with his hand. He then slowly began to shake. Some tears fell on the stretcher's soiled sheets, causing A2's heart to sink. She didn't know he could look this miserable, considering his usually upbeat demeanor. He and 21 had been the heart of the squad, always finding the words to laugh with the more timid 4 and 16 or the serious 2 and 1, even in the most stressful moments. Witnessing such a breakdown was not something she considered possible. And still, there she was, shifting awkwardly on her seat while her long lost friend wept. She never had to face such a situation beforehand and thus had no idea how to react, so she clumsily tried to pat his pack, even though she knew it wouldn't help.

At their very core, the YoRHa androids were built with one purpose in mind: humanity's survival. But A2 had heard a lot of stories told to her by the Resistance guys during her lonely years. Tales of units that braved immeasurable and overwhelming odds on their own to save a fellow android, claiming afterwards that they only owed their safety to an inexplicable rush, a baffling sensation that none could precisely describe.

The Resistance quickly gave it a name tightly linked to organic lifeforms: Instinct. She hadn't believed in those things at first. A synthetic android would always be a synthetic after all, the only impulses allowing it to act being embedded in its primal code. Her resentment towards Command had also clouded her judgment for a long time, preventing her from calmly assessing her status. But at that moment, when she saw T8 cry over the deaths she spent three years mourning, she finally could say she acted on instinct.

She carefully wrapped her arms around his head and brought it to rest on her shoulder, feeling his tears streaming down her cold limbs and chest. She closed her eyes, silently sharing the pain that undoubtedly tore through T8's heart.

* * *

A little further down the quiet camp, Anemone, 2B, 9S and the Pods were patiently waiting for A2 to show up.

"He's an old friend?" the Resistance leader asked.

"Affirmative." 042 stated matter-of-factly. "He was apparently defeated in battle three years ago and was presumed dead by both his division and Command. He however resurfaced very recently, mostly unscathed. Hypothesis: his reparation module solely focused on keeping his black box active, but spent an extended amount of time on its task…"

"Survival instinct…" Anemone whispered thoughtfully.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing…"

"The failure of his communication systems also prevented him from sending distress signals. We therefore cannot know for sure when he was reactivated until we ask him."

"Even if they were functional, Command wouldn't have sent help."

Everybody turned to look at 9S, or more precisely, 9S's back.

"The units in A2's division were rat labs."

"What do you mean?" he heard 2B ask from behind him. He raised his eyes to the sky and answered.

"I'm sure you noticed that our generation of androids was brought up with the executive order to always suppress emotions, to the degree where it has become an automatic process. However, I found a file in the Bunker's server explaining that the very first mission was just a clean-up of their first failure. Their objective did not even exist. They went right through a machine's nest that was easily recognizable with satellite images."

2B had a confused look, but Anemone gasped in horror.

"… They weren't sent to their deaths for combat data?"

"No, such data collection does not absolutely require the unit's destruction to be of use, and being prototypes, every unit of that division surely cost more than all their flying units combined to produce. They were sacrificed because they were not taught to be emotionless. You surely saw how A2 is a lot more expressive than the both of us, and how she was marked as a rogue by Command. I cannot say for sure, but I feel like they were trying to prevent some behaviors… Even with newer models..."

9S saw 2B's face fall a little at that. It was then the Pods' turn to speak.

"Why is it that vital to be emotionless?"

"Because emotions lead to self-awareness," Anemone calmly responded. "Self-awareness then leads to protest, which in turn induces freewill. And freewill can be dangerous when you want someone to do something."

* * *

T8 had stopped crying for quite some time already. However, he had not moved an inch since A2 had cradled his head in her arms. She had told him everything, from their disastrous mission, to her travels, and finally her meeting with 2B and 9S. He stayed mute while she spoke, and even after she finished.

"I wasn't there…" were the first words A2 heard him utter. " I wasn't there when you needed me. I threw my own life because of my anger… With my help, they may all still be here…"

"This is not something you should think about… It's a miracle you survived yourself…"

"How couldn't I?"

He slowly straightened his back, leaning away from the contact.

She always knew the eyes had something special about them, that they were able to convey a person's current state in a way words could not begin to grasp. She had quickly started to fathom their role in the way the pupils moved when their owner concentrated, or how the irises' size could help detect their happiness or their sorrow. She even became quite proficient at it, despite the very limited time she spent around other androids in the last years.

That time, the eyes she pierced through told her a lot more than usual. Along the pain, she saw grievance, but both were overshadowed by an unyielding guilt. A guilt that reminded her of her own.

"Can I… please be alone for a little while?" he asked without looking up.

"… Sure."

She stood up and made her way to the central part of the camp, but just before she entered the area where she wouldn't be out of everyone's earshot anymore, she quietly said:

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're alive…"

She then joined the gathered group. They all seemed to be having a very thrilling discussion, but stopped talking as soon as they saw her.

"How is he?" 2B was the first to speak.

"He could be better, but he also could be much worse… He just has to process all of this, might take some time."

"I'm going to tell the medics they can go back to work," Anemone said. She then swiftly went to retrieve the caretakers.

"Well, that lets us discuss what we're going to do."

"About that…" 9S began. He gulped and steeled himself for what he had to say. "I'm not sure we can make much of a difference…"

That got everyone's attention.

"Meaning that…?"

"You see, Project Gestalt failed because the bodies that got their souls extracted developed their own self-awareness, preventing their corresponding spirits to fuse back. Those same spirits are now dead; their anchor to reality had been killed a few centuries before they all disappeared."

A2 and 2B were looking at him with wide eyes.

"The moon server only contains the data for the bodies' reconstruction. Without their souls, they'll never be humans again. I'm sorry, but… I think we're doomed to fail. Humans cannot come back."

"So, when you shouted that a few hours ago…"

"…It wasn't just because I was angry…"

A heavy silence fell on the group. 2B even let herself slump to the ground, while A2 brushed her hair with her hand, her gaze lowered.

"We… didn't need that…"

"Well… I'd rather tell you now than later."

"I know, I'm not blaming you…" A2 put her hands on her hips and heavily breathed. "Those Command bastards already knew all of this, right?"

"They did, for the most part."

"Tss."

Fury was not something A2 would experience very often, but this was probably the closest she could get to ideal conditions. Still, she was feeling too empty to be angry.

"We are sorry, we didn't know of these circumstances when we rebuilt you." The Pods had been very quiet until then.

"Yeah… What should we do now?" A2 was speaking in a low, defeated tone.

"Whatever the hell you like, I guess."

9S was looking very uncomfortable. Never before had he noticed how interesting a pebble on the ground could be.

"We could at least bring the data server back to Earth, no?"

"I guess we could, but even then, why bother? It is useless, so, be it here or in the middle of nowhere, that thing will just rot."

"I…"

"I'd like to try, at least," they heard 2B say as she slowly stood up.

"But, 2B! It's…"

"You said we could do whatever the hell we liked, right? What I want is to bring back that data in case someone, someday, is able to create those spirits you were talking about. If I don't succeed, it'll mean I died trying. I cannot imagine wandering here aimlessly, and I refuse to. It's not a life I want to live. But, please 9S, I also don't want to see you go down that path if it isn't your wish."

"2B…"

He remembered that tone, and he knew how much determination it carried. But he also remembered the promise he had made her.

"I think I'll give it a try too," A2 said. "At worst, there are still machines to kill… Entertainment will not be an issue."

The two women exchanged sad but complicit glances. 9S alternatively stared at the set of false twins for a few seconds, before throwing his hands up in annoyance.

"Gaah! No use arguing with you two… It's not like I have better things to do anyway…"

"Thanks, Nines…" 2B said with a smile.

"Yeah… Whatever." He stopped for a while and seemed deep in thought. "What about that friend of yours?"

"Oh…" A2 had forgotten about T8. He still was oblivious to everything concerning that, and she would have to tell him. "Umm…"

"We can come with you for this," 2B stated.

"Is it really a good idea?" 9S asked.

"No, but you'll come. I'm not sure I can say all of that without trembling in rage."

2B nodded and 9S sighed. They both followed A2 to the stretcher, where the medics had just finished working.

"He's all yours now."

"Thank you," 2B said.

T8 was sitting on the bed's edge with his right elbow on his knee, and turned his head to face to incoming androids. His mouth contorted in a tired and sad smile when he saw A2.

"Feeling better?" the latter asked.

"I guess? They said my left hands' modules were beyond saving, but they managed to fix my shoulder and my eye. I'll look for some replacements later."

It wasn't what she meant, but she let it slide for the moment. The young man then noticed the rest of the group. "And this is…?"

"Oh, these are the two androids I talked to you about earlier. T8, meet 2B and 9S." The short haired android slightly bowed and her companion nodded. T8 in turn waved his hand with that same smile still plastered on his face. "Hello there. Nice to meet you." He then tried to get up.

"I… I think you might want to stay seated."

They then began to narrate every aspect of what they discussed earlier.

"And that's about it…"

T8 had stayed concentrated the entire time, hearing out the three of them.

"I see…" He scratched the back of his head. "Looks like this is just not my day at all," he practically sighed, eliciting a sympathetic smile from both 9S and 2B.

"Believe me, in a sense, it isn't mine either…" A2 continued. "I found you again, after all..."

"Ha, nice one... And you say you want to try it out anyway?"

The three exchanged glances and answered simultaneously:

"Yes."

He seemed to meditate for a while, but then quickly said:

"I'm in."

"T8, we're absolutely not forcing you to…" 2B began.

"I know, don't worry. I'll just stick with you until I'm able to think of something I want to do."

"… Understood."

"Right. So, where to start?"

* * *

 **Aaaaand Clap! As usual, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review, because reviewers directly go to writers' heaven (you guys rock!).**

 **This story is finally beginning to take form, and I'm really excited to see how much I can develop it.**

 **As for Gargoyle, don't worry mate, I got what you wanted to say x).**

 **See you next time!**

 **Edit: A few people wondered how A2 would look like with my style, so I added a link to a drawing I made of her and T8. If you're interested in seeing it, the link is in my profile.**


	4. Fight First, Talk Later

**Author's Note: Hey everyone!**

 **The first big battle in this story! I had fun writing it but damn was it tiresome.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy!**

* * *

"TO… TO THE MOON?!"

Anemone's shout attracted the whole camp's attention and a few quizzical stares.

She had been addressed a lot of eccentric requests in 200 years. As the camp's leader, she had assigned people to retrieve missing music boxes, look for hair combs, or scout the desert for a lost mug that was apparently a war treasure. She even was asked once to help an android that had forgotten her eyes -her own EYES- in the wilderness.

But all of those almost seemed reasonable compared to what 2B and A2 were now talking about.

"How the hell do you want me to send you to the moon?"

"Come on, we're still not dumb enough to ask you to put us in a rocket," A2 said while rolling her eyes. "We just need to find a way to collect the server's data, and we wanted to see if you could help us take our first step."

"My answer's still the same… I don't have the slightest idea on how to even begin…"

"Well, maybe not you…" A2 began.

"… but you may know someone who could," 2B finished with an innocent look.

Anemone sighed. Those androids were going to be the death of her. She took a look at T8 and 9S, who were standing a little behind. The latter was frowning while following their exchange, but the taller young man was seemingly deep in his thoughts, with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"He's going with you?"

The three androids followed Anemone's gaze.

"He is," answered A2. "Why do you ask?"

"I just heard his left arm was in pretty bad shape, despite the care he received. I would suggest he goes around to take a look at the armory or the chips' store."

"I thought so, too…" the longhaired android said. She then turned to face the concerned party. "Hey, 8. You said you wanted to check out something for your arm?"

The man opened his eyes when he heard her call, and answered:

"Yup. If we're going to fight some bad guys, might as well give them hell for it. And it'd certainly run better with two functional arms."

2B gestured to the stand at her left. "You'll surely find something interesting there." She then tossed him a purse full of nuts and gears, which he caught with his right hand. He stared at it perplexedly for a few seconds, but as soon as he opened his mouth he received the answer to his unspoken question:

"It's currency. There's about 30 000 G in that."

"Okay, thanks."

"Another thing," A2 added. "If he tries to sell anything that is not a full weapon for more than 10 000 G, tell him to stop bullshitting."

"Got it," T8 answered with a smile. He then made his way to the vendor.

"Well, that leaves us to our matters," 2B then said.

"I cannot help you that much; the only person you can still try your luck with is Cain. He was a member of our main science team during the 8th Machine War, so he could surely be able to somehow direct you… if I knew where he is. The last time I heard of him was months ago, and if I recall correctly he was studying a strange network in the desert. You can begin by looking up there…"

"That's a good starting point, isn't it A2?" 2B said as she turned to face her.

"Not like we have that much choice," A2 responded, shrugging. "Thanks for the info, Anemone. We'll probably come back to refill our stock and for check-up, though I don't exactly know when."

"Very well. You're always welcome here, 2. You all are," the leader said. She lightly bowed her head, to which the three responded by the same gesture. They then walked to where T8 could be found sitting on a crate, with the weapons vendor working on his arm.

"And that's it buddy!" the latter said while straightening his back and wiping the sweat off his forehead with his hand. "This should set the very ground ablaze if you use it right!"

T8 inspected his arm with a satisfied look then shook the merchant's hand. "Thanks for your work."

"Ready to go?" A2 unceremoniously said.

"Pretty much…"

The way he was examining his arm with glittering eyes intrigued her. She raised one of her eyebrows.

"What did you buy?"

He closed his fist and wore a mischievous smile upon hearing her question.

"Well,…"

* * *

"… can we please slow down for a while?"

The group was now running amidst the never-ending waves of sand, the horizon bending to the heat's unforgiving pressure. The freshly awakened young man was struggling to keep the pace.

"Unit T8 has yet to fully recover from his three-year long suspension. Despite the previous overhaul, his limbs' inner circuitry still contains parasites such as rust, microscopic rocks or dust, which will be eliminated spontaneously. The operation will however take time. Proposal: slow down in order for the lacking unit to not be left behind until he is again able to follow."

"Yeah! Thank- Wait what did you just call me?" T8 had a scandalized look, but both A2 and 9S snickered. "I can tell you, POD, that I am absolutely not lacking."

"Excuse me, T8, but I fail to find another word accurately describing your current condition." 2B had a worried look, but 9S was only containing his giggles out of respect for his newfound companion.

The latter sighed:

"And you tell me this is what they developed thanks to me…"

"No wonder they are such smartasses," A2 shot back. 9S was now visibly shaking with laughter.

"Okay, now that we've all had a good laugh, can we PLEASE slow down? This sand is going to kill me!"

"A2, while I would appreciate going fast, if T8 is in a bad position, we have..." 2B began.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

The group then decelerated to a more decent speed.

"Aaah, I can feel my feet again!" T8 sighed with relief. "All right, where are we headed?"

"To meet an old acquaintance," 9S and 2B both answered.

"Okay, that was cool." The two turned to give him questioning looks. "The way you said that; it was cool. You both had that little smirk, like we're going to see someone so important I will not be allowed to sneeze."

The two androids exchanged confused glances.

"Oh… Actually, it is just someone we know from the Resistance…" 2B explained, 9S nodding to confirm.

"I figured. But as far as I'm concerned, had it been a Goliath or a hedgehog, you still would have sounded awesome saying that."

"Thanks… I guess?" 9S said, raising his eyebrows while 2B covered her mouth and lightly chuckled.

"Don't mind him," A2 said with a wry smile. "He's always been like that…"

They soon enough reached the advanced camp that had been established in the middle of a tiny canyon, not far from the abandoned housing area, and began searching for a certain hooded android.

"Jackass? Are you here?"

"Jackass?!" A2 and T8 both said, in a mocking voice for the first, and a surprised one for the second.

"That's what she told us to call her. I found it weird at first too, just roll with it," 9S shrugged. "She doesn't seem to be here anyway…"

"Wait!" they heard from above.

A rope suddenly appeared, unfolding from the top of the gorge. A woman rappelled down, launching herself to cross the final meters. Her landing was surprisingly soft, and she immediately got up.

"Hello, hello! What can I do for my favorite test subjects? Oh please tell me you're willing to try fighting again! I have so many new types of machines I would like you to see…!" she blurted out with such speed that A2 and T8 expectantly looked at 2B and 9S, apparently waiting for a translation.

The white-heads waved them off, soundlessly requesting to let them handle the situation.

"I'm sorry, but I fear that it will have to wait… We're actually searching for an android named Cain. Anemone informed us that he was last seen around here. Would you happen to know of him?" 2B asked.

'Jackass' put her hand on her chin and lifted her head. She then stopped moving, to the point where someone passing by could easily mistake her for one of those pipes disseminated here and there in the desert. An awkward silence lingered on for a few minutes.

"Does she... always do that?" T8 whispered to 2B as he leaned towards her.

"No. Well… at least… she never did before…" she responded, keeping her eyes on the still motionless woman. She tentatively walked closer. "Jackass?"

No reaction.

"Hey, Jackass!" That time, it had been A2's turn to speak, albeit 'practically shout in the poor woman's ear' would have been a more accurate description.

Nevertheless, the noise seemed to get her out of her torpor. "Hmm… Huh? What?"

"Cain? Where is he?" A2 was beginning to lose the little patience she had left.

"Oh… The last time he got people talking about him was a few weeks ago… He had chased an unusual signal that was supposedly located in the far North, deep into the desert. Didn't come back since."

"No distress signal?"

"Nothing. I only know he said he would surely venture beyond the Access Point."

"That's where I fought that caterpillar looking crap of a machine…" A2 realized.

"What was that?"

"I said I once fought a giant machine that looked like a caterpillar near that Access Point. He might have encountered it, and if he did…"

She cut herself. "Let's just go look for him."

2B, 9S and T8 nodded their agreement. They all bid their farewell to the weird individual and made for the isolated arch that marked the Access Point's location.

"Here we are. Pods, do you detect anything?" 2B asked.

"We are currently trying to locate the source of the aforementioned strange signal." The bots answered. "Proposal: keep our radars active for the entire duration of the search."

"Seems good to me," 9S said.

"Okay. From now on, we're in the middle of uncharted territory," A2 warned. "I don't know what type of weird ass trash cans we can come across, so stay alert and near the group."

"Understood, captain." That got both A2 and T8 to stare at each other with wide eyes before quickly averting their gazes. "Sorry… A reflex…" the young man apologized, his face now livid.

"Right…" A2 was not in a much better state as she tried to regain her composure. "Let's go now."

They ran for minutes that felt like entire hours in the desert's deafening silence, until Pod 042 suddenly spoke:

"Warning: closely approaching signal."

"Where?"

"Six hundred meters east."

They quickly diverted their course and soon found themselves overlooking a sinister hole dug into the very sand, its metallic walls covered in a gooey yellow substance.

"Who's going in first?" 9S asked. Even though he had a distinctly disgusted expression, T8 approached the opening's border. "I'll go."

Before anyone could retort, he jumped and disappeared. Pod 042 and 2B immediately followed. A2 however stayed behind, and 9S noticed a worried look on her face as she stared into the void before her.

"Is there something wrong?"

She seemed to snap back to reality and quickly responded:

"Nothing…"

She was in turn swallowed by the gaping pit.

* * *

T8 heavily landed, bending his knees to disperse the kinetic energy accumulated from the interminable fall. He scouted ahead a little bit, lighting his way with his right arm's blasters.

He soon heard a Pod slowly descending. He lifted his eyes and immediately closed them while turning his head to the side when he saw that it carried 2B.

"It's very improper to watch under a lady's skirt, T8…" she accusingly scolded with a frown once she touched the ground.

"I know, I'm sorry… Didn't do it on purpose…" he said in a sheepish tone while scratching his neck.

"Hum… I'll let it slide for this time. Please do not reiterate."

"A… Anyway… There's nothing dangerous at first sight…" A loud sound interrupted him before he could finish.

"… but you can bet they're kindly waiting for us to fall in a trap," A2 completed, getting up and dusting her legs.

"I have to agree with her," they heard 9S say as he appeared. "But doesn't this place remind you of the alien ship we discovered, 2B?"

"I was just going to point that out. There is indeed some strong resemblance."

The walls were actually a mate black, with stripped cables protruding in some areas, covering fluorescent blue lines that ran on the entirety of their length.

"We'll surely find out more about all of this further down. Let's move on."

They walked in the ever linear tunnel, crossing a few portals that automatically opened as they approached. They finally reached a giant room, a colossus of a chamber so extended A2 wondered if it had its own ecosystem; they couldn't even see the roof, despite the Pods' flashlights. It was however completely empty, with only size-matching pillars to serve as a support.

"Do you smell it?" A2 asked. "The smell of ambush?"

"Affirmative. Mechanical signal ahead."

They all turned to 153.

"What?!"

"And you're only telling us now?"

"This signal is confirmed to have appeared 9.6 seconds ago," 042 explained. "The unusual signal is still independently detected."

"So this is…"

"… another thing entirely. Warning: the signal indicates that the machine is probably around the size of So-Shi."

"The big ball thing I fought in the factory?!" 2B exclaimed.

"Affirmative."

"Wait, shouldn't all the Goliath class ones be deactivated after A2 killed that Little Girl she talked about?" 9S bitterly asked.

"Fight first, talk later," A2 and T8 simultaneously said.

"Seriously…" 2B sighed heavily as she summoned her Virtuous Treaty. "That was a tough one; it was connected to the factory's energy source, and I only managed to win thanks to Nines' help. So, if it's the same here, we'll have to clear a direct path for him to start hacking as soon as possible." A2 and T8 both nodded and took their battle stances, the former by drawing her Type 4-O blade and the latter by deploying his twin cannons and arm sword.

The hoarse sound of clashing steel suddenly echoed through the whole building. "It's coming," 2B notified.

A bright light shone at the other side of the room, and vanished as quickly as it appeared. After a few seconds of silence, an angry ball of reinforced iron loudly crashed in front of them. It was indeed very similar to the factory's Goliath, but…

"Yeah, 'the same size'… only three times bigger…" 2B whispered with annoyance.

The cyclope deployed her side plates to reveal an imposing missile launcher, its eye glowing with a threatening red.

"The machine shares a similar functioning scheme with So-Shi: hacking will be required," 042 informed.

"Engage!" A2 shouted.

She and 2B immediately went for close contact accompanied by a Pod, each one taking a different flank, while T8 started shooting. 9S, in turn, prepared to launch the hack at the first opportunity.

"How much time do you need for that?" T8 asked while trying to keep his eyes on his target despite the very poor visibility.

"Probably not a lot more than twenty seconds, but I must have an access first."

"Understood. Stay behind me, I'll cover you when needed!"

In the meantime, both female androids were escaping a few orbs and energy waves that travelled on the ground, struggling to get closer while trying to find a weak point. A2 narrowly dodged the scaled tail that had suddenly been projected from the beast's 'back', while 2B was finding it hard to deflect the now overwhelming amount of purple spheres of doom. The machine began endlessly spinning, preventing any attack from reaching its frontal part.

"Not yet?" 9S shouted.

"Oh excuse me, are we taking it too slow fighting…" A2 started answering in an exasperated tone.

The huge boulder suddenly stopped moving.

"… this fat… garbage?"

It abruptly opened in half, displaying barrels that seemed very familiar. Three red laser beams erupted from the machine, taking what seemed to be arbitrary paths around the chamber before acquiring their targets.

T8 grabbed 9S and hid behind a pillar as fast as he could, while the Pods deployed their respective M-Shields to protect 2B and A2.

 _Charge complete._

"Say 9S… Shouldn't that thing's weak point be where the lasers are fired from?" T8 said. The Pods' shields were surely heating up a little too much for their companions' safety; they had to get them out of there fast.

"I guess it should, yeah…"

"I'm aiming right there then. Be ready to hack."

"But, even if you don't miss…"

"Which I won't."

"…it would surely just interrupt the beams for a few seconds…"

"That's more than enough…" he concluded with a reassuring smile. He then raised his voice. "2B! A2! I want you to go directly for the eye as soon as the lasers stop!" He didn't bother listening to their responses. As soon as he made sure they had heard him, he rolled out of his cover and aimed.

"RELEASE!"

The twin cannons fired at the same time, their recoil heavily pushing on T8's shoulders. But, as predicted, the shots hit right through the barrels, launching the machine back a little bit, and seemingly disabling the beams. A2 and 2B took their chance, and quickly closed in to slash at the machine's frame, until one of the swords met its eye. It was now weakened enough to let its control panel appear.

"NINES!" 2B called.

"ON IT!" 9S answered as he dived into their enemy's fragmented mind without further delay.

"Nice job, 8," A2 stated. T8 nodded.

"Thanks. Don't worry, I'll look after the little guy. Go ahead."

"Right, just don't let him know you called him that," she said with a smirk.

"If… you say so…?"

Strangely enough, the machine had not launched a single assault since 9S had started his hacking, but continued walking around.

"Why aren't you attacking it?" T8 wondered aloud.

"Because it is still linked to the power source, its sensors are functional. We're waiting for 9S to cut off the connection," 2B answered.

At that moment, the short android opened his eyes with a shriek, falling back on his bottom.

"What's the matter?" T8 asked with concern.

9S painfully got back on his feet, wiping his mouth.

"I got ejected, just like in the Tower…" he said.

"Aaand…?" A2 asked.

"…fight first, talk later?"

That elicited a smile from T8. "You damn right." His grin faded as the machine began spinning again. He immediately started firing, the Pods now helping him in covering the two combat-specialized androids while they fought.

"Hey, 8! I just remembered! Why don't we use that gadget you got there?" A2 said, pointing to his left arm.

"I'd rather not try it inside!" he shouted back.

"Why?"

"Because, if that vendor did not just lie to make me buy, it might very well kill us along with that crap!"

"Beg pardon, T8, but we can deploy a shield strong enough to protect you from the aftermath of your attack, and the whole group can use the pillars as cover," 153 explained.

T8 stayed silent, visibly not convinced.

"Come on, T8, the shields will hold their own…" 9S insisted.

"That's not… it's not…"

He was very clearly uncomfortable.

"8…" A2 was speaking in a voice that 2B and 9S were hearing for the very first time; a firm tone filled with authority, not unlike the late Commander's. "Do it, please."

She stared at T8 intently for an ephemeral instant, and it was then, with that fleeting glance she caught, that 2B began to grasp just how much they've been through. The way they both held their ground, the young man refusing to endanger his comrades while the longhaired woman was willing to risk their own safety to ensure that the target was put down, spoke volumes about their pasts; the eyes they had were those of people who lost, not only someone or something, but also themselves, to battle.

In the end, A2's short-lived but intense gaze finally seemed to pierce through T8's reason. He pursed his lips, frowned, and reluctantly nodded:

"Right… I'll need thirty seconds to charge. I will not be able to move or communicate for the entire time."

"We'll handle it," 9S reassured as he jumped to join A2 and 2B.

T8 sighed and lifted his left arm. His hand separated in two, leaving the forearm's main axis free to pivot. It revealed a small barrel that started to shine a pure white as soon as it appeared. He closed his eyes.

 _Charge: 5%._

A2 dodged yet another orb and proceeded to attack the machine's right side. 2B was ejected by a sudden blow while trying to reach the front panel.

 _Charge: 38%._

9S escaped a bladed module that erupted from the enemy's leg.

 _Charge: 71%._

A2 narrowly avoided a missile and rushed to deflect another one that aimed for 2B's back, but was too late. They both took the bigger part of the projectile's explosion.

 _Charge complete. Reactor online. Particle cannon online. All systems nominal._

"Warning: T8 is ready to fire," Pod 042 informed.

T8 opened his now bright blue eyes to see his companions step back under Pod 153's protection behind a pillar and Pod 042 float above his head.

"Good to go?"

"Affirmative."

"Then take a deep breath and brace yourself."

"Contradiction: Pods are not capable of…"

T8 rolled his eyes. "Just an expression, buddy…"

He smiled, but quickly concentrated on his target when he saw it rapidly approaching.

.

.

.

"Release."

A single light came into being in his arm and travelled instantly from its origin to its designated objective.

A blinding blue flash detonated, engulfing the entire room in its silent and destructive wrath. Everyone covered their eyes.

"Shields stable at 8,5%," both Pods notified as the light began fading, leaving behind the smoking frame of the still standing mechanical monster.

"Hostile presence still functional, though its frontal surface has been heavily weakened. Proposal: attack as quickly as allowed," they added.

A2 and 2B, still a little stunned after the power display, regained their composure and swiftly accelerated, reaching the machine at the same time only to slice through several strategic points. They immediately stepped back, letting the machine shatter apart in a huge explosion.

"And that's the end of it," A2 calmly stated, sheathing her blade.

"It wasn't that easy…" 2B was worriedly looking at a panting 9S. Scanner models were definitely not designed for battle.

"All right, let's move. T8, you're good to go?"

No answer. The young man was on his back, lifting his palm as if to ask for mercy.

"Unit T8 must recover from the use of his module. Without forgetting its high stopping power and therefore high energy consumption, the cannons' relatively recent integration to the unit's internal environment requires a certain adaptation period," 042 explained. A2 kneeled with a smile beside her unmoving friend.

"Well, at least it was worth the entire 30 000 G. I still can't believe you paid that much for a thing you were not even sure was going to work as intended…"

He tried to give her a disapproving look, but only managed to close his eyes in exhaustion.

"I…hate…you," he painfully blurted out.

"Oh, it's cute how you strain yourself to show me your appreciation," she teased.

"A2… Is it really a good idea to prevent him from resting in such a manner?" she heard 2B say from behind her.

"I'm just taking a personal revenge…" she answered with a smirk.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the signal is still ahead, and its intensity has increased tenfold since that thing's destruction."

9S looked better, but he had a thoughtful expression as he talked.

"Affirmative. We are now able to distinguish several different signatures. One of which is an android," 153 completed.

"So that Cain guy…" A2 began.

"… is probably just at the other side of this room," 2B finished.

* * *

 **Aaand Clap! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review for cookies (I swear they're not toxic).**

 **See you next time!**


	5. Language Is Not Words, But Meanings

**Author's Note: Hello everybody!**

 **This one's a little bit heavy with dialogue, so if you think something's wrong with it, don't hesitate to point it out.**

 **Also, after a few messages, I feel like I must clarify. The Cain in this story is NOT Caim, the protagonist of Drakengard. I only meant it as a little easter-egg that backfired in the end… Sorry if you expected something else, it was quite a mistake on my part…**

 **Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy this fifth chapter!**

* * *

T8 had stayed on the ground for ten minutes, and only managed to stand up again thanks to A2's and both Pods' help.

"Ugh… I would love to know how it feels to finish at least one battle in one piece…"

"Good luck with that," A2 plainly said.

T8 snickered.

"Thanks for your thoughtfulness, it's really heartwarming."

"I know," she replied with a grin.

"Ready?" 2B asked.

"More or less," T8 answered, taking A2's offer to use her shoulder for support as they walked.

"Let's go, then," 9S said.

They made for the surprisingly small gate at the end of the chamber, and heard a muffled voice escape through the thick door, growing louder as they approached. They entered a much smaller room, one that was most likely a control center, filled with odd-looking and inter-connected blue squares that strongly resembled the Bunker's servers.

"… and just how much do they need anyway?"

At the center of the room was a lone man facing away, standing amidst the wires and dark metal pieces. He turned around in fear as soon as he heard footsteps. He had short dark hair, light brown eyes and a black coat that went past his knees –even though this one was visibly torn, it was probably meant to reach his ankles.

"What the…"

"Please stay calm, Cain. We were sent by Anemone," 2B began, raising her hands to prove that she was not a threat.

"Where's the Goliath?"

"We killed it," she answered.

"What are you doing here?"

"We were looking for you, actually," 9S explained.

"How can I be sure that you're not here to kill me?"

"Jeez… Chill out…" A2 said in an annoyed tone. "If we wanted to kill you, I don't think we'd be having this conversation right now…"

The man seemed to relax, but still held a suspicious look.

"Excuse me, I slightly panicked… But you have to understand that you do not look like the traditional rescuers…"

"And just what do we look like exactly?" A2 said, raising her brows.

"…not rescuers?"

A2 sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I thought your types were not usually sent on such missions… If I'm not mistaken, you two ladies are Battle units…"

"While I can't blame you for confusing the two, I'm technically an Attacker," A2 specified.

"Oh… So you must be a prototype. Interesting," Cain thoughtfully stated. He then turned to look at 9S. "And you're a Scanner, aren't you?"

The boy nodded. "I am."

Cain finally seemed to notice the silhouette leaning on A2's shoulder.

"And… Umm… What is that thing you're carrying?" he asked, looking at A2 and pointing at T8. Both androids exchanged glances, causing A2 to snort as soon as they made eye contact.

"The 'thing' hears you, buddy…" T8 said, his eye twitching.

"Oh, sorry. I just never encountered similar units before. Who are you?"

"I'm YoRHa Unit Type T Number 8. For comfort's sake, call me T8."

"Type T? That's a new one…"

"Well, my series was previously known as the Defender Class. They decided to change the name when they added new features. I was actually the first to bear the name Tactical," he explained. "And also the last, apparently," he added in a whisper while looking at the Pods.

"So you're an evolution of Type D ... How much are you similar?"

"We're quite different actually. I'm more like a mix of Defenders and Gunners. The reinforced plates were removed, and I've been granted long-distance weapons for suppressive fire along with a reparation module. To a certain extent, I can fix defective pieces on the battlefield."

"But, wouldn't such a thing be…"

"Very ineffective, yes. Do we absolutely have to talk about this?"

Everyone noticed that T8 was looking quite queasy. 2B decided to change the subject.

"Anyway… Cain, we have matters to discuss, but first, what have you discovered?" she asked.

"I actually came to investigate a very strange pulse emission that originated from here. It turns out these are local servers for the machines' network, and scanning them allowed me to…"

"Wait, isn't the network supposed to be shut down?" A2 interrupted him with a worried voice.

"Oh, but it is. It completely collapsed a few weeks ago. But these servers are permanent and contain lots of information concerning those things. There's so much data that I actually had to stay here for days. Unfortunately, when I finished transferring everything, I was blocked here by the Goliath you fought, unable to send distress signals. And as you can probably guess, combat is not my specialty…"

"Anything interesting in that data?"

Again, 9S's first drive was his curiosity.

"Mostly files concerning their functioning scheme and primal components. The equivalent of the organics' DNA, I guess… Not crucial, but still good to have. Anyway, you said you were looking for me?"

"We were, but we'll talk on our way back to the Camp," 2B simply said.

* * *

"… and you want to collect everything that's on the moon?"

The group was nearing the entrance leading to the Ruined City.

"Yes, that's what we're planning to do, if it's feasible."

"Well it is, but it's practically impossible to correctly execute. Chances of failure are very high, I think you're aware of that," the scientist developed. All four androids nodded. "Well, if you say so, why not try? Here's what I suggest: I'm imagining a little spacecraft that would depart from here, orbit the moon a single time and use the time required for the revolution to gather the data before coming back to Earth. With the help of your Scanner, I should be able to code a program that would force the transfer under a certain distance and bring the whole thing back in a relatively short amount of time." He saw T8's mouth open at that. "Which means around three months."

"And you're gonna do all of that for free?" A2 asked with her eyes narrowed.

"Well, you kinda saved me from that Goliath… And I will not be doing the hardest parts of the job."

"Of course you won't," A2 said with a roll of her eyes. "And that's because…?"

"Because the resources you'll need are mainly extremely rare materials or very expensive gear that only YoRHa could've provided…"

"For example?" 2B urged.

"To begin with, the main propulsive set will need the engines and internal board computers of three flight units. The storage device will be easy to find, but the transmitting chip requires a few grams of promethium…"

9S's eyes widened.

"A few grams?! Where do you want us to find a few of grams of promethium?!" he shouted.

"What's the matter Nines?" 2B was taken aback by his outburst.

The answer came from T8, who was giving Cain a quizzical look.

"Promethium is not an abundant element on Earth, 2B. I'd say the entire planet's crust contains less than a kilogram of it, and I'm being optimistic. A few grams are infinitely more than what can be found at its surface."

"Exactly," said Cain. "Buuut… Do you remember those aliens? That came from space?"

"Oh…" 9S and T8 were suddenly looking at the scientist with mild interest.

"Well, their ships are 'loaded' with Promethium. Believe it or not, they were using it for their engines…" Cain explained with a knowing smile. He brought out a little flask containing a grainy looking metal from his pocket. "I managed to salvage a few hundred milligrams from the one we just left, and I think it was in a bad shape, normally there should have been more. I'll exactly need around 4.4 grams. So, if you find other ships…"

"…we might be able to pull this off," the two androids finished.

"All right," A2 began. "So to sum up things, we need three flight units…"

"We can find 2B's and mine. They're in pretty bad shape, but their engines can still be used," 9S said.

"… there's also mine." T8 mentioned, raising his hand. "Though it's quite far from here…"

"…and 4.4 grams of that prum… promithaya… promathia…" A2 struggled with the new word.

"Pro-me-thi-um," T8 spelled out with a smirk.

She responded with a vicious glare. "That."

"And fuel," Cain added. "Though this will be the easiest to find; a flying Goliath's tank would do just fine."

2B, 9S and T8 heavily sighed while A2 sarcastically spoke:

"Ooow, lucky us. We just have to kill another Goliath…"

"Well, you're the ones who want to bring that server back…"

"2B, we're dropping this guy at the camp and immediately setting off."

"Proposal: take a break," Pod 042 said. "An extended amount of time without rest will heavily downscale the team's performance."

"I agree with him, A2," 2B added.

A2 sighed and nodded.

"As you wish..."

* * *

They arrived at the Camp a few hours later, and delivered Cain to the medics for a rapid check-up. They had a quick talk with Anemone before regrouping at the camp's center.

"Right. We've all got some free time for now. I'll go buy some supplies and sleep for a bit. Regroup here in ten hours," 2B said while walking away from A2, 9S following her.

"Wanna sleep too, 8?" A2 asked. She turned around, having received no answer, and was surprised to see no trace of the young man. "Where'd he go?"

"Unit T8 has expressed his desire of staying alone for the time being," 042 replied.

"Where is he?"

"Unit T8 has expressed his desi…"

"I heard that, and if you aren't as half-witted as I think you are, you know that I don't care. Tell me where he is," she growled.

* * *

T8 was sitting on the edge of some building's roof, admiring the warm colors projected on the horizon by the setting sun. He soon perceived footsteps and sighed, closing his eyes. He should have known _._

"What is it that you don't understand in 'I want to be alone'?" he asked.

"The fact that you actually wanted to be," he heard A2's voice reply.

She slowly walked closer to the sitting man, carefully thinking her approach. He clearly seemed unwell, but she always had been very awkward in such moments.

"What's the matter, 8?"

He didn't answer, still absently looking far into the distance.

"8…" She took a seat next to him, not taking her eyes off his face. She lightly pushed him with her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice. "Hey, you can talk to me…"

He stayed mute. She sighed, folded her hands in her lap and followed his gaze. The wind slowly came up, blowing through her hair and causing her pure white strands to wave harmoniously, every lock rippling with the gentle breeze.

"You know…" T8 finally spoke. She turned to face him. "At first, I thought androids were not meant to appreciate the things they lived. At least, that's what they told me back in training. And I believed them. But you see, I'm here, simply sitting down, and I'm thinking: 'this sunset is beautiful. This moment, right now; this is something I enjoy.' And here's the problem. I realized long ago that I enjoy things. I realized that I enjoyed a lot of things that I shouldn't have."

A2 was staring at him with a strange mix of melancholy and concern.

"I was built and I was tested. I was approved and I was assigned. I was sent and I was 'killed'. That's the path that had been traced for me. But, in between all of those steps, I met people. We grew closer, we became teammates, we became friends. We laughed, improved and fought together. And I enjoyed every second of it. I'm proud I got the chance to spend time with them. To call them my comrades. But despite all of that…"

His tone was slowly growing sad, but A2 barely noticed. She knew what he was talking about, she knew how he felt.

"… I let them down. While they were fighting, I slept. While they were struggling, I slept. While they were being killed... I slept. And here I am, sitting here, enjoying this damned sunset and the memories of the day we just had."

He was now trembling, but A2 could clearly see it was not from sorrow.

"You remember what the Pods said just after I used the Particle Cannon?" He raised his left hand, clenching his fist with a disgusted grunt.

A2 didn't reply.

"They said their shields were at 8.5%. With a blast a little more powerful, we would have been hit all the same." A2 dropped her gaze. "And you know how that could have happened? Had I installed the cannon a day before, the energetic circuitry would have reached optimal coverage of the new module. The attack would have been twice as destructive. In such circumstances, we would all be dead. You would be dead."

A2 raised her eyes, only to see that he was now looking at her.

"I could have killed you…"

She was left speechless for a few seconds, as they both stared into each other's eyes.

"8… You know that I have a mission," she finally muttered. "I hated YoRHa. They lied to us, made us fight an endless war. They destroyed us, made us suffer, sacrificed our friends. I will not surrender to those fuckers' will. They wanted me to die for their inexistent cause, so I'll either achieve what they could only dream of accomplishing, or die because I did something I wanted to do."

T8 chuckled. "So that's it, huh… That's why you fight…"

"What would I do otherwise?"

"…"

They both turned back to the soft and everlasting ocher skyline, the silent grip of cold dew progressively taking hold of their surroundings.

"…I'll tell you, 2… When I woke up in that camp and you explained everything to me, the first thing I told myself was that I wouldn't have accomplished the fifth of what you did had I been the one to roam the Earth for three years in your stead. I would have been completely lost… And I would still be, had you not been there."

"What are you…"

"I'm just trying to say that… I'm not like you. Well, I guess just a little, as I don't care for humans either, but… I don't feel I want to prove YoRHa wrong. To keep things short, now that I'm here, let's just say that I don't have any purpose… but you."

That was not something A2 expected. She stared at T8 with wide eyes. He then began ruffling her hair with a sad smile.

"I don't care about those humans and I don't care about those machines. But you can bet your ass I'll be there whenever you need me. However… your safety comes first. That's why, among other things, I'll be the one to decide when to use the Particle Cannon from now on. I refuse to be responsible for something that would endanger you or those four."

A2 had watched intently as his eyes began glowing with the unmistakable glimmer of determination as he spoke. He put back his hand on his lap.

"I hope I made myself clear."

"You did…" A2 softly answered.

"Good. Now, you should go to sleep. When are we departing?"

"Around nine hours from now."

"Right," T8 said.

They stayed silent for a few more moments before A2 decided to close her eyes and put her head on his shoulder with a smile.

"What are you doing?" she heard him say in an amused tone.

"Following orders. And I can't sleep if you're making noise."

"So now I'm your pillow?"

"You are. And a pillow doesn't talk, you dork."

"Excuse my immeasurable discourtesy Miss. I'm going to very gentlemanly shut it from now on."

For the first time in years, A2 genuinely laughed, her melodious voice echoing through the field down below. "Good pillow," she said while nuzzling her cheek against the surprisingly comfortable surface, still chuckling. She quickly dozed off and fell asleep, still feeling the wind's gentle kiss all over her body.

A few hours later, the four androids were standing in front of the Camp's entrance.

"So here's the plan: We're going to start by searching for the flight units. That should provide enough time for the main body to be built while we're out looking for the rest," 2B said as she examined the group behind her. "Mine is not very far and 9S's is near the harbor, but where did you say yours was, T8?"

"I'm not exactly sure; I more or less wandered alone for quite some time when I first woke up. But I would estimate it to be around a week's travel from here. But we must be careful; the crash site is really not far from the boundary with the 'night' side of the planet."

9S's eyes suddenly began glowing. He excitedly started shaking the taller man's shoulders, A2 and 2B lightly smiling at the sight.

"I'm going to see what the night looks like? I'm going to see what the night looks like!"

"Calm down cowboy..." T8 said with a smirk. "It's quite different from what you're used to..."

He didn't seem to even hear him.

"The night! The night! The night!"

"We're going for yours first, T8. If we find anything tied to the alien ships, I say we investigate. Are you all okay with that?" 2B suggested, regaining her serious attitude.

Everyone nodded.

"Then, we're good to go." The group set out quickly after that.

* * *

The first few days passed without noticeable events. They mostly just ran, stopping for refueling and rest once every few hours. 9S had been completely enraptured by the atmospheric calm and slight fuzziness the constant nightime brought up, a few Wows escaping his mouth at every little starlight reflection he encountered. A2 and T8 even caught 2B releasing sighs of satisfaction while looking at the sky, even though the lack of natural lighting had considerably decreased the natural diversity and proliferation of both animals and plants.

And while the Pods were always active, the group needed someone to watch over the three others at all times while they slept. In the middle of the third 'night' they spent out in the open, T8 was taking his round in guard duty when he heard the sound of heels approaching.

"T8, your turn ended two hours ago," 2B said with a reproachful tone and her hands on her hips. "I'm sure the Pods already told you. You should have come to wake me up…"

"Oh… Yeah… I just forgot… Sorry…" he said, though he was clearly not looking like he was. He did not move, even after she made it clear that she was handling it from then.

"Are you not going to sleep?" she asked.

"Actually… I was just wondering if we could talk for a bit."

"Umm… yes, if you wish to…" she then remembered his face after the battle with the Goliath. "Truthfully, I also wanted to have a word with you."

"Then go ahead."

"I just am curious to know: it's pretty obvious that you and A2 are very close, but I still always sense some… uneasiness, when you're talking about some specific subjects… I have a vague idea on where it could come from, but do you mind explaining it to me?"

"Well… You already are aware that we were both members of the first group sent to Earth by YoRHa… On our way down, we… quickly encountered heavy resistance. Our captain fell first, and I followed suit. However, this thing in my neck decided against it and put me on stasis for three years, during which everyone died, except for A2. She… She is the last thing remaining from my life, the last person that ties me to this… reality? I don't know, it's difficult to express…"

"Don't worry, I think I'm getting it."

"Good. Anyway, we are sometimes awkward around each other because we know that. I… just can't afford to lose her, and I believe it's the same for her."

"But isn't it a little dangerous to solely rely on one other person to define yourself?"

"Define myself, huh…" T8 darkly snorted. "That's a way to put it. I know it's dangerous, but what choices do I have?"

2B couldn't answer that. She stayed silent and settled for twiddling a little rock with her feet.

"Anyway… I wanted to ask you something myself," she heard him say.

"Please do."

"Why are you doing this?"

"The… server's recovery?"

"Yes."

"To keep things simple, it's quite similar to you… I wouldn't know what to do without that… And there's also the fact that the protection of humanity is my first and most important command."

"But... aren't the humans dead?"

"Maybe, but that server can help bring them back. And it doesn't matter if I'm not around anymore when it happens…"

"I see. And how is 9S coping with all of this? From what I understood, he was the only survivor of the virus incident, and he even witnessed A2 kill you because of it. My first assumption would be that he strongly rejects everything related to YoRHa and thus to humans..."

"He did and still does in a way. The Pods even told me he teetered on the brink of insanity at times…"

"So, you're his safeguard?"

2B raised her gaze to the sky, admiring the innumerable stars shining in the dark veil of space.

"Partly, yes, but what we're trying to do is what truly keeps him sane. It reminds him of the time we spent together just after Adam and Eve appeared, I guess…"

She brought down her eyes, only to see that T8 was staring at her, his lips contorted into a bright smile.

 _You're actually doing it for him…_ he thought.

"Is… Is there something on my face?"

T8 lightly chuckled.

"No, no don't lose your head," he reassured her.

"Hum… It's quite embarrassing…" he heard her stutter. She was very actively trying to avert his gaze, her own eyes moving here and there, never staying long over the same spot.

T8 laughed a little more loudly. "Excuse me, I was being impolite," he said. He then put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're really kind-hearted, 2B; that's the mark of good people. I respect that immensely and I wanted you to know it. In a sense, you remind me of our captain, and I'm sure A2 would agree." Her eyes widened at that last part. "9S is lucky to have you."

They stayed silent for a moment, until T8 smacked his knees. "All right," he grunted, getting up and dusting his bottom. "Hey, what a surprise. I'm actually exhausted…"

"You really should go to sleep."

"I know," he declared, stretching his arms and back. He then made his way to the little camp they had established and waved his hand, looking back at her. "Our little talk was nice. Thank you for taking the time," he stated.

"You're welcome…" she replied, even though she felt more like she should have been the one thanking him.

She brought her eyes back to the skies, and a small smile crept up to her face. It had been a long time since she hadn't felt at peace. She knew it was temporary, she knew that battle would soon be her mind's first focus. But for now, while she sat there with only the faint glittering of stars for company, nothing weighed on her heart.

And she could say she liked it.

* * *

 **Aaaand Clap! Thanks again for reading! Don't forget to review. If you do, you'll be rewarded by the Gods, I promise.**

 **T8 finally begins to meddle with the group here. As he was knocked out for three years, I feel like he would have some insight the other characters would lack, while staying a little naïve and quite unaware of the world's shenanigans, relying on the others' experiences to slowly get the hang of it. He should have a little conversation with 9S soon enough.**

 **About the Particle Cannon, it's not supposed to destroy the biggest enemies, just heavily weaken it. I know it might seem a bit OP at first, but it's done on purpose, don't worry.**

 **About Gargoyle's review: Thanks for your kind words!**

 **I'm trying to never break the lore, as I always make sure the elements I add in this story can actually be added (for example, the Type D androids T8 and Cain talked about certainly do not exist as I described them in the game's universe, but the letter D is never assigned to a specific role.) But of course, feel free to tell me if you find that I went too far with the lore's rules.**

 **Finally, I added a little sketch for the last chapter, and as usual, if you want to see it, the link's in my profile page.**

 **That's it for now. See you next time!**

 **IMPORTANT EDIT: Thanks to 0erbayunFang** **, I realised that I neglected the fact that Nier's Earth is tidally locked with its Sun (like the Moon with our Earth IRL, it always presents the same face to its star, giving the same result as if it had both stopped orbiting the Sun AND stopped rotating on her axis). Being a student in engineering, I couldn't help but do the math, and I calculated that the sunny side would always be at 130 degrees C (or 266 Fahrenheit if you're American), thus creating the desert, and that the night side would be at -70C (or -94 F). That allows me to estimate the "decent" zone to be around 30 kms in width, going all around the planet like a belt. With all of this, and the fact that the desert actually starts in the playable zone, I can say that running 15 kms can allow T8 and A2 to see a sunset (which is therefore permanent in the location where they sit down to talk). If you don't want to science too much, just know that I corrected a severe mistake thanks to her. So, big up to Fang for telling me!**


	6. Hate The Sin

**Author's Note: Hello hello!**

 **I'm sorry, I'm late. I was diagnosed with a serious case of examinus finalensis, so not much time for writing...**

 **Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Three weeks before the first mission's launch.

 _The entire team_ _was standing in the middle of the Bunker's simulation grounds, having just finished their latest training session._

 _"And this is it for today," the captain stated plainly as her group's members either sheathed their weapons or fell down in exhaustion. "Any questions about the global battle plan?"_

 _16 raised her hand. "Are we supposed to go in stealthy for this?"_

 _"Yes, we are. Why?"_

 _"How are we going to make that work with those two jokers around?" 21 completed with a smirk while pointing towards 8 and 4, who both feigned a shocked expression at her gesture and put their hands over their chests._

 _"How dare you say that, knowing all we've been through together..." the two said in what could be considered a good impression of the Commander's indignant tone._

 _"Well, that's easy to spot," 2 remarked with her arms crossed and a look that made it seem like she couldn't decide whether she wanted to be angry or laughing. "If you insist on screaming 'Booyah' every time you manage to land a hit..."_

 _"... which means whenever I shoot..." 8 added with a cocky grin._

 _"... they're going to know we're there before we even get to land," she finished, ignoring her comrade's snarky comment and giving him a scolding look._

 _The captain pinched her nose bridge while 21 and 16 chuckled. "Yes, about that... Is it really necessary to shout during training?"_

 _"It's motivating," 8 and 4 proudly affirmed._

 _"It's stupid," their four teammates shot back._

 _"And distracting," the captain added._

 _"Oh come on 1! I'm sure both you and Spitfire would love to do a little shouting from time to time," 8 enthusiastically said. "It gives a feeling of grandeur to the whole thing. You really should try it... 21 and 16 here did and are completely convinced! Am I right?" he asked as he turned around to face the two sitting androids._

 _"Absolutely not."_

 _"I can't recall a single experience in my life that took a bigger turn to the moronic."_

 _8 turned back to 1 with a frown and put his finger on his chin. "It seems they were not ready to comprehend its power."_

 _The captain closed her eyes and shook her head with a small smile. She then smacked the young man's head and spoke._

 _"You're an idiot, you know that?"_

 _"Yes Ma'am," he responded a little too cheerfully._

 _"And you 4, you decided to go on with his shenanigans? Had it been 21, I could've understood..."_

 _"Hey! I'm not... that stupid..." the latter had tried to express some sort of disagreement but quickly realised it was just digging her own grave._

 _"... but you're usually more considerate..." 1 finished._

 _The smaller android scratched her cheek with a wide grin._

 _"It was actually my idea in the first place..."_

 _The captain stayed silent for a moment before sighing._

 _"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the spearhead of YoRHa's operations... That's your influence, 8. At least the enemy will have a good laugh..." She briefly ran her hand through her silvery white hair before resuming. "Anyway, you're free for now. I'll be in the control center if you need me." She then walked out of the room, leaving her team behind._

 _"Well, how about a little chess game, 4?" 21 asked her smaller comrade, who answered with a defying tone and a mischievous smile._

 _"Game on!"_

 _"I'm coming too," 16 added. "Might be funny to see you lose again, 21."_

 _The latter clenched her first with determination._

 _"This time, it'll be different!"_

 _"So... just like always?"_

 _"Ha Ha."_

 _The three headed for the room's gate after they bid their farewell to 2 and 8._

 _"You're not going with them?" the long-haired woman asked the still unmoving android._

 _"Nope," he said while shaking his head. "I've still got some work to do here."_

 _"And what would that be?"_

 _"Why do you want to know?"_

 _"Just answer the damned question..."_

 _"...I'm trying to improve my use of external weapons. My blasters are not very powerful at close range, and I might be obliged to rely on something other than my cannons in battle. Without dedicated combat-ready magnetic fields, I must handle them with my limbs. It's very impractical, I know, but I don't have many choices. So... I train."_

 _"And you didn't think of asking someone to help you with that? Like, I don't know, one of your two teammates who just happen to be units specialized in close combat?" 2 demanded with an annoyed voice._

 _8 had a sheepish look upon answering._

 _"I thought it might bother you, or that you would find it useless."_

 _"Well, while I'm not saying it's the most useful thing you could have came out with, it doesn't bother me." 2 raised a single finger when she saw that 8's eyes literally started to glow. "BUT... don't expect yourself to become a master swordsman; no magnetic field means no hovering rotation and no projection, and that's where 80% of the weapons' raw power comes from."_

 _8 nodded his understanding, his face regaining a more serious expression. 2 summoned two swords and handed one of the them to the young man._

 _"For starters, you'll always want to have your body spinning. Apart from forward acceleration, it's the fastest way to accumulate energy, while being much easier to execute in battle. And that's not how you hold the thing."_

 _8, whose hands were until then clawed to the blade's tip, clumsily corrected his stance with a nervous laugh. A2 smiled wryly._ This is going to be fun, she thought.

 _"Anyway, now you have to get the blade as close to your chest as possible." He did not move, still eyeing the slender android with attention. The latter sighed. "You're supposed to do what I say... Don't just stay there staring into my eyes."_

 _"Oh excuse me, what did you say? I was busy staring into your eyes... I just noticed they have a little grey touch near the pupil. Really goes well with your under- OUF!"_

 _2 had quickly brought up her sword and knocked the wind out of 8 with the blade's hilt, causing him to bend forward from the concussion. "Was it worth it?" she asked with her brow raised and a grin._

 _"N-not... at all... But ...y-your expression... s-still f-funny..." he painfully blurted out._

 _2 closed her eyes and sighed._

 _"I hate you."_

 _"Heh... That face y-you just... made... absolutely adora- OUF!"_

* * *

"So... wasn't it here?"

The four androids had travelled quickly and managed to reach the targeted location in six days. They were now overlooking an extended piece of barren land, a few acres of burnt brown and slightly sinister rocky formations that were presumably T8's crash site. The latter recognised the buildings that surrounded him when he first emerged from his three-year-long slumber and the little ashen mattress where he had blacked out, but the only issue was...

"Yeah, it was supposed to be here..."

A2 had her arms crossed and visually scanned the field below her.

"Then I must be raving, because I'm not seeing anything but old loose stone... And I assume I'm not the only one, judging by how you're all still silent."

"Contradiction: Pods are not capable of delirious beha..." 042 began with his metallic voice. A2 rolled her eyes.

"No, it's... Ugh. Nevermind. Is the damned thing here?"

"An in depth scan of the field yields no results. Assuming the unit was present here in the first place, it is no longer."

"This is very concerning..." 2B uneasily said.

"You don't say... How much do you know about taking the engine out of a flight unit that we can't find?" A2 scoffed.

T8 had a suspicious look that transformed into one of worry as soon as he heard the Pod's conclusion. The group approached a little crevace dug into a huge pile of debris, 9S and A2 jumping up near the hole at the top.

"I suppose this is were you stayed, T8?" the smaller male android wondered aloud.

"Yes, I 'slept' there. I only woke up a little over two months ago. My flight unit was a few feet away from me back then," he said while gesturing to the location where they should have found his personal aircraft. "But as you all can see..." His arm fell to his side and he heavily sighed, very clearly disappointed.

"Beg pardon, T8. I am able to detect a very thin trail of liquid coolant and fuel, starting from here," 153 stated. "Hypothesis: the traces originate from leaks in the engines' circuitry."

T8, whose eyes held a gloomy aspect before that, suddenly perked up. "Seriously?"

"Affirmative," 042 confirmed. "The trail follows a linear path, but we will provide regular updates to keep you on the right track."

A2 jumped down next to them and walked past T8, taking the opportunity to lightly punch his shoulder.

"Then what are we even waiting for?" she said before joining the Pods.

2B soon followed, flashing a little reassuring smile to her comrade on her way to catch up with the now pulling away trio. T8 stared at their backs for a few seconds and sighed. He then turned around to call for the Scanner.

"Hey, 9S! We're moving out!" The boy didn't seem to listen, his eyes still fixed on the small pit where his new teammate had spent the greater part of his time on Earth. T8 rolled his own and closed in, overlooking 9S's shoulder with a malicious smirk. He took a little inspiration, and...

"HEY THERE!"

"WHAT THE..?!"

9S jumped up with a yelp and reflexively brought up his fist to where he thought the 'threat' originated from, his knuckle soon colliding with his poor pranker's nose with a loud thud.

"OUCH!"

The boy darted back and took his battle stance with a distressed look, until he saw T8 on his knees, holding his nasal area. He let his shoulders relax but his frown remained.

"ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

T8 lifted his watering eyes. "I... I called for -Damn, that hurts... I called for you and you didn't answer..."

"AND BECAUSE OF THAT YOU THOUGHT SCARING THE SHIT OUT OF ME WAS A GOOD IDEA?"

T8's eyes widened, panic written all over his face as if just realising what he did, and frantically shook his palms. "Shush! If A2 finds out that I did that, she's going to kill me..."

9S was on the verge of yelling that he might very well do it himself when the taller android joined his hands in front of him and lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry man, I really am... I only meant it as a little joke..."

The Scanner huffed and his angry features contorted into a more fitting pout. He walked past the still kneeling T8, muttering a little "Never again" on his way. The prankmaster waited a bit before smacking his forehead.

 _This ability I have to always do the most stupid thing available in a given situation is nothing short of a goddamn miracle_ , he scolded himself before getting up.

He caught up with the rest of the group and found them waiting at the zone's boundary with what seemed to be an endless wasteland. A2 was the first to speak upon his arrival.

"If you wanted to go back to sleep out there you could've just asked. Although I can't say it would have been painless."

"Sorry, I just... meditated for a while," he said while rapidly glancing towards 9S.

"The trail continues further beyond," 042 said. "However, it is growing thinner as we advance. It will become increasingly harder to follow, and can even be undistinguishable past a certain point."

"Then we just have to hope we'll find it before that," 2B sighed.

"Just who would use a thing like that?" A2 asked no one in particular.

"I don't know," T8 absently answered.

They then ran for a few minutes, only stopping when the track led them to the edge of a small cliff overhanging an intriguing pile of metallic remains and rusted machine pieces that could only be described as a dump.

"It's in there?"

"Affirmative. However, we also detect a strange signature coming from down below. Interference prevents us from precisely determining it's source," both Pods notified.

"And here I was wondering when the weird shit was going to start," T8 snorted.

"Yeah, things never just work," A2 added. "I think we all learned that the hard way."

"We should probably extract the engine as fast as possible and get out of here while there is nothing really nasty after us..." 9S was trying to keep his priorities straight.

"Nines is right; we should go," 2B said, although she was visibly not convinced. She stepped forward and let herself fall on the filthy cluster of blighted junk, carefully walking around to avoid the razor sharp pieces protruding here and there. She was soon joined by A2 and 9S, but T8 had stayed on the high ground, narrowing his eyes.

"What are you looking at, 8?"

He didn't answer right away, apparently focusing on something that she couldn't see from where she was. His eyes suddenly widened and he jumped next to them, darting away as soon as he landed.

"Hey! What's going on?"

He didn't bother to respond and continued to run, his gaze still locked on a distant point. A2, 9S and 2B quickly exchanged glances; something was off.

They all accelerated and followed T8's course, calling him out every now and then to try and understand the reason behind such an abrupt reaction.

The young man still turned a deaf ear to all their pleas, but soon seemed to slow down when nearing the top of a waste-made hill. The three android rapidly caught up with him, and A2 immediately grabbed his shoulder.

"What's gotten into you?"

He stayed silent once again, not taking his eyes off a thing she couldn't distinguish on another pile.

"Why don't you..." A2 began.

T8 lighted his blasters, and only then did she notice what he had been focusing on this entire time.

"talk... t-to...us..." her voice had gradually wore down to a mere whisper. It was then 9S and 2B's turn to be confused.

"Are you two all right?" the latter asked.

T8, whose features had taken a serious tone they were both witnessing for the first time, said something to his teammate and slowly started to walk. A2 stayed behind with a dumbfounded expression, her hand sliding out of her comrade's shoulder as he pulled away.

The younger duo then remarked the silhouette of a female android standing on a nearby hillside. She was missing an arm on the right, but otherwise the body seemed intact. Her frame was small, even smaller than 9S's, and her shoulder length hair strangely resembled the latter's, in both color and shape.

"Who's that? Is it infected, 042?" 2B asked.

"Her black box's signal indicates no trace of viral contamination. Actually, I detect no active base software."

"What?"

T8 was nearing the stranger, and both 2B and 9S saw him stop a few feet away from her. The short haired Battler then turned to face A2, only to see that she was...

"A2?"

Complete and utter incomprehension was the best description of what 2B felt right at that moment, as she witnessed the ever stoic android's lips quiver and her hands shake. 2B tentatively tried to get close, wincing when the woman let herself fall on her knees.

"9S, stay with her. I'll go check with T8 what's going on here..."

She hastily jumped next to the young man who hadn't moved and still stared at the newly discovered android.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment too, T8?" She then grabbed his chin as smoothly as possible, forcing him to look at her in the eye. She spoke in a low but pleading tone.

"Who is this?"

T8's eyes narrowed a little. "This is someone who shouldn't be here. Or even alive for that matter. This is 4; or rather 4's body. She was a member of our team."

"What do you mean by 'her body'?"

"She isn't in there. This is just an empty shell."

"Then how is it active?"

"I... I don't know..."

"It's quite simple really."

The two darted back from the unmoving android who had just spoken. Her head snapped to the side, her blank gaze still locked on the ground. The metallic junk below her slowly started to tremble, creating an opening that let the faceless head of another android pop out.

"I control it. And when I say that I also mean that I control this one too, and a whole lot more around here. And you're in MY neighbourhood. Which is, as you can guess, not good for you," the head spoke. An arm emerged next to it, and an entire body followed suite.

2B immediately drew her blade while T8 turned around.

"9S! A2! Entering combat situation! You watch out over there!"

"Oh my... Straight to the point, aren't we? I actually like that," the faceless newcomer said, a dozen other bodies crawling out of the dump as it talked.

"Okay, that's three or four per head," T8 calculated as he deployed his shoulder guns. "Let's go."

The broken puppets quickly sprinted twards them, summoning diverse weapons that were obviously manufactured by YoRHa. 2B parried the first strike while T8 aimed for the legs to disable their attackers. Two units fell rapidly, but still tried to reach for them by creeping forward with their remaining limbs.

"Crippling the enemy will not annihilate their will to fight," said 153. "Proposal: destroy their core to permanently deactivate them."

"Tss." T8 pursed his lips. Killing other androids was something new for him, and he was obviously not going to enjoy it. But they had no choice. _They are already gone anyway_ , he tried to persuade himself while 2B finished the first targets off.

 _Charge complete._

"Release!"

Two other foes were taken out by the brilliant column of light; 2B followed the attack's afteglow and slashed her blade on her way, severing a head. She then used her remaining momentum to grab another android and throw it towards T8 who immediatly shot it down. He then prepared himself to aim at the last standing threat. She was however nowhere to be seen. In her stead was standing...

"9S! What are you doing out here?"

"I'm helping out 2B!"

"What?! Who's with..." T8's eyes widened and he immediately turned around to see A2 surrounded by three units and 4's body sneaking behind her with a blade readied in her hand. A2 was too busy defending herself against the three different enemies, she couldn't dodge a backstab.

"A2!" he shouted.

 _Charge: 42%. Target destruction: improbable._

"RELEASE!"

The weakened blast hit his former teammate in the shoulder and sent her flying away. 2B then accelerated to help out the long-haired by tackling one of her attackers while T8 distracted the last two, allowing A2 to stab through their hearts. As soon as the assaillants were taken care of, T8 jumped off and kneeled next to 4's body. Its entire right side was steaming, but the head was apparently still able to move. The young man inhaled sharply when his friend's crackled voice addressed him.

"Heh... You actually m-managed... to win..." she coughed.

"Who are you?"

"I think n-neither...of us... knows that... I'll t-tell... you as soon as... I find out," it answered.

"Why attack us?" T8 was beginning to lose his temper.

"That...I k-know... But y-you don't have to... J-just remember t-that... I'll have you all f-for myself... s-soon enough..."

He grabbed the android by its collar and brought it up just as A2 and 2B joined him. The former heavily stepped in, white-hot rage now distorting her features.

"WHY 4?! WHY USE HER BODY?!"

The dislocated puppet stared at her for a moment and somehow managed to muster a sinister grin, completely dismissing the question but at the same time giving out its answer.

"Proposal: destroy this unit at once. It is trying to create psychological instability."

A2 drew her sword and raised it, her entire arm shaking. Just before bringing it down, she felt T8's hand on the top of her head.

"I'll do it."

'It' turned its gaze towards him.

"T m-model, huh? How are y-you.. living with t-the fact... y-you're so useless... a s-simple box can d-do your job better?"

T8 let it fall down, and took a hard look at what once was his friend.

"You'll all probably want to move away."

"H-how many... of y-you were even... p-produced?"

He took a step back and readied his cannons.

"Enough to kill you."

He then heavily sighed. His next words were for someone who couldn't hear them.

* * *

The group started going back to the City as soon as the Pods managed to stabilise and lift the voluminous engine.

T8 had stayed silent during the entire extraction of his flight unit's core, only giving killer looks to 9S every now and then. A2 had also been completely mute the whole time. On their way back, sleep was not easy to find for both of them. Three days away from the Resistance camp, the young man approached the silently stargazing woman.

"Still can't close you eyes either?"

She turned around and smiled tiredly upon seeing him.

"It seems I can't..." T8 took a seat next to her and followed her gaze. A little moment of quiet followed their little exchange, but it was soon broken by the gun-wielding android.

"Where... where do you think they are?"

She had expected such a question, but she hadn't really given it that much thought.

"I'm not really sure... According to Pascal..."

"Who's Pascal?"

"Oh... I'll talk to you about him later... Anyway, he told me that... humans believed in a place where they'd go after their death. A place... where they'd find peace. Something they called 'The Afterlife', I think?"

T8 scoffed at that.

"Could have been a little more creative with something like this..."

A2 lightly punched his shoulder and spoke in a mix of amusement and reproach.

"Hey, a lot of people believed in this! I'm not sure wether or not that's true, but... the idea of it seems quite appealing to me..."

T8 chuckled.

"Nah. They would be having fun without us. Not a good deal."

"Is that right, you egocentric dummy?"

"Yeah... But they wouldn't want our little swordswoman to miss out on a big party, now do they? Although I'm sure they would want us to be as late as possible."

A2 lowered her gaze to the ground with a smile.

"I'm sure they do... " She lifted back her eyes to his face. "8?"

"Hmm?"

"I know it wasn't your choice, but... thanks for coming back," she said, her smile ever so radiant.

T8 stared at her for a few seconds before pulling her in a one-sided hug and rubbing her far-away shoulder.

"No problem, Spitfire. No problem."

* * *

 **Aaaaaand Clap! Hope you enjoyed! Please consider leaving a holy review, they are better than coffee!**

 **I'm sorry it was so delayed! And to make it worse, I probably will be as late for the next one... Hope you'll forgive me for that.**

 **About reviews:**

 **Fives: Oh my god, thank you so much! Your message is pure fuel for writing, you can't even begin to imagine. I'll do my best to finish this story, I think I made it clear I want it. Thanks again mate, I'm glad you liked the story!**

 **Gargoyle: Special shoutout to you, you've been reviewing every single chapter until now, and have provided precious advice. Thank you so much! (And are you a telepath? You're definitely a telepath... I was planning to reveal our 'archenemy' in this chapter, but as you can see... hehehe) I'll do my best to improve further! Edit: This is really far from the last time we're seeing him/her, don't worry mate. I was maybe too shady about it in the text, but those were not its associates, they were also derelict androids; it was actually controlling all the bodies at once. And thanks for the suggestion, it might have inspired me for something I did not hink about earlier. You rock!**

 **Nothing more to say for now, see you next time!**


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